


All That I Could Never Lose

by Chelsea Frew (chelseafrew)



Series: Blind!Harry 'Verse [1]
Category: One Direction (Band), X Factor (UK) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Blind Character, Blindness, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, The X Factor Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-02-07 22:16:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 145,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1915911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseafrew/pseuds/Chelsea%20Frew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One Direction takes on "The X-Factor" with a twist: Harry Styles was born blind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I began working on this story on September 9th of last year and made my final edits today (July 7). This story is complete and clocks in at a little better than 145,000 words (according to my copy of Word). Due to its length, I will be posting this story in 13 chapters, with a new chapter every Monday (as I am able; only one will be rated Explicit). (Edited to Add: As of 8/18, I will be posting on Mondays *and* Thursdays until all the chapters are up.)
> 
> This story would never have been done without the help of two incredible people:
> 
> First and foremost, my BFF, Cori, who listened to countless hours of me talking about this story and suffered many hours when I ignored her (either in person or while in the midst of an IM conversation) in favor of writing. She offered advice and cheerleading at every turn, and beta'd the whole thing when it was done. I can never, ever thank her enough.
> 
> Of equal value was Stellar. If there is a part in the story which seems exceptionally fitting, chances are good Stellar helped me make it that way. She offered a great deal of plotting advice which made this story infinitely better than it would have been otherwise. Then, on top of that, she beta'd it. I'm not sure I can thank her enough, either.
> 
> Any errors left in the story are mine. I tried to be as factual as I could be as far as One Direction's time on "The X-Factor" was concerned, but for obvious reasons, I did have to take liberal artistic license to service my plot. You may note that from time to time, I actually use dialogue from _The X-Factor_. All those words belong to the people who said them, not me. The title of the story is a lyric from the song "Blindfolded" by Kris Allen. Thank you, Kris, for continuing to provide me with songs to poach for fic titles!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it (and I enjoyed writing it a lot). Please don't be shy about leaving me feedback!
> 
> For those who are interested, this picture served as a huge inspiration. I wanted to share, so you could visualise how I visualised the boys. Therefore, here...
> 
>  

Louis wasn't exactly sure how it happened, the moment which irrevocably changed the course of his life. One second he was scrolling through his playlists, trying to find the one he'd made the night before, the next he was sprawled on the sidewalk, his iPod skidding away from him and his backpack lodged uncomfortably under the small of his back.

He moaned as he tried to simultaneously figure out what had happened and get his elbows up under himself. A similar moan from nearby alerted him to the fact that he might actually have run into someone while messing with his iPod.

It quickly became evident that it would be easier to slip off his backpack, then stand, so he made swift work of freeing his arms and rising. As he straightened, he caught sight of the person he'd managed to knock down. The view nearly stole his breath.

The boy who was pulling himself up onto his knees was probably fifteen or sixteen, just a little younger than Louis himself. Tucked under a brown beanie were thick, dark curls. He had a handsome face--long, regal nose, cheeks that still retained some pre-teen chubbiness, and full, red lips. His eyes were light-coloured, though it was hard to tell if they were green or blue over the distance between them. What was obvious was that they didn't work; the way he was trailing the ground with his fingers as if he were trying to find something was a dead giveaway. Louis had managed to knock down the cutest blind boy in Manchester.

"Shit," Louis swore. "I am so, so sorry."

The boy stopped what he was doing and turned his face in Louis' direction to offer a smirk. "Maybe you should watch where you're going. You never know when you're going to run into someone who can't." When he grinned to soften his words, dimples appeared in his cheeks, rendering Louis nearly speechless.

When Louis didn't immediately respond, the boy asked, "Are you still there?"

Louis nodded, then realised that was useless, and he answered, "Sorry. Yes."

"Could you maybe find my cane? I dropped it when you hit me."

Louis was happy the blush of embarrassment which crept up his cheeks wasn't visible to the boy in front of him. "Sure." He scanned the ground and spotted a long, thin, white stick lying under a nearby bus stop bench. Coincidentally, his iPod had landed right next to it. He easily retrieved both items. He slipped his iPod into his pocket, then walked the cane over to the boy. "Here it is."

The boy, who had stood up as Louis searched for their things, held out his hand, and Louis pressed the cane into it. "Cheers," the boy said, reaching down to pick up the duffle bag sitting at his feet.

Louis silently debated with himself for a few seconds before going ahead and asking, "Can I help you get somewhere?"

"Well, I'm staying at the Holiday Inn. The cab driver promised me it was right here."

"It is," Louis assured him. "I'm staying here, too."

"You are?"

"I am. I'm here to try out for _X-Factor_ tomorrow," Louis explained. Jokingly, he added, "Early, early tomorrow."

"No way! Me, too!" the boy exclaimed with a bright grin.

Louis' first thought was, _"Yay!"_ His second was, _"Shit, how can I beat this?"_

The boy interrupted his thoughts with a request. "Maybe you can walk me to the reception desk. To make up for mowing me down."

"Sure," Louis agreed readily, pulling back on his pack.

"Great. By the way, my name's Harry." He slipped the strap of his cane over his hand to his wrist, then held out his hand for Louis to take, which he did.

"I'm Louis." Harry's hand was warm and soft, and it was with reluctance that Louis let it go. "So, how does this work? My getting you to the reception desk?"

Harry slung his duffle bag up over his shoulders so the strap crossed his chest, then situated his cane in his right hand, thrusting it out in front of himself. Finally, he held out his left hand. "If you give me your right elbow, I can follow."

Louis easily shifted himself so Harry could take his arm, then he carefully moved toward the hotel entrance.

As they walked, Harry swept his cane back and forth in front of them, checking for obstacles. They found a rhythm pretty quickly, and it didn't take them very long to make it into the hotel lobby.

"There's a queue," Louis told Harry, maneuvering them to the end of said queue. "But it shouldn't take too long."

"Okay." Harry smiled to show it really was.

Louis took a moment to construct something else to say inside his head. He cleared his throat. "So, you came all by yourself?"

"Should I not have?" Harry returned somewhat defensively, the smile disappearing from his face.

Confused, Louis stumbled over his next words. "Um, I mean, usually people bring family or friends with them. You know, for support, I mean."

"Oh, that." Harry visibly relaxed. "I wanted to get here on my own, not arrive with my mum, you know. She, my sister, and my dad are coming up later."

"My mum, too. We can move up," Louis added as the person at the front of the queue received their room key.

Once they were standing still once again, Louis ventured to ask, "What did you think I meant when I asked if you came here on your own?"

Harry shook his head. "It was nothing."

Louis felt an urge to push, despite Harry being a virtual stranger. "I don't think it was."

Harry sighed. "It's just that sometimes people think I can't do anything on my own because I'm blind."

"Oh." Louis had no idea what else to say. He was relieved when the queue moved again and they arrived at the desk. "You go first," he told Harry.

Louis learned two things while Harry was checking in. The first was that Harry's last name was Styles. The second was that Harry could handle himself well, blind or not.

When Harry was done, he turned back in Louis' direction. "Your turn, Louis."

"Thanks. If you want, we can go find our rooms together."

Harry smiled, dimples coming out in force. "Sure." He moved to the side so Louis could check in.

Louis had his key shortly thereafter and headed back to Harry's side. "Okay, I'm all set. I'm in room 415."

"I'm in 203. They gave me a room right near the lift."

"Sweet. I can come up with you to yours, then nip up to mine after."

"Sounds good." Harry held out his hand again and, as if they'd been doing this routine for years, Louis slipped him his elbow and led the way to the lifts.

They didn't have to wait long for a lift and in no time at all they were stepping off on the second floor.

Just as the receptionist had promised, room 203 was right across from where they stepped off the lift.

"Here it is," Louis announced.

Harry smirked. "You're going to need to be a little more specific."

Louis blushed as he clarified, "We're standing right in front of the door."

Harry dropped his cane from his hand so it hung from his wrist by its strap and then withdrew his key from his back pocket. He felt in front of himself first for the door, then for the lock. Louis watched as Harry slotted the card key into the lock. Louis knew right away, though, that it wouldn't work because he could see the arrow on the card pointing up instead of down. Sure enough, when Harry tried the handle, the door didn't budge.

As a frustrated look clouded Harry's face, Louis tentatively reached for the key in Harry's hand, turning it around. "Try that," he suggested. "There's an arrow that needs to point down."

"Of course there is." When Harry tried the key again, it worked. "Thanks."

"No prob."

At this point, Louis knew he should probably leave Harry to his room and go find his own. However, he found himself reluctant to leave his new friend. Bereft of an excuse to stay, though, he said, "So…. I guess I should go see if my key works."

"Actually," Harry returned softly, "could I ask you a favor?"

"Absolutely," Louis replied a little overenthusiastically.

This time it was Harry who blushed. "I could probably find everything okay, but usually it's easier if I can get someone sighted to map a new place with me. Do you have time to help me?"

"I do."

Harry smiled in thanks and threw the door open wide. "You go first," he directed, letting Louis' arm go.

Louis sidled past Harry into the room, then pressed his elbow right back into Harry's hand. "There's a small corridor before the main part of the room," he explained, slowly moving ahead of Harry into the corridor.

As they walked into the hotel room proper, Louis asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"Can you put my duffle on the bed?"

"Yep."

Harry pulled the strap of his bag up over his head and handed it over to Louis.

"I'll put it at the end of the bed," Louis told him, tossing both Harry's bag and his own backpack on the bed.

"Perfect."

"Now what?" Louis asked.

"We walk the room," Harry explained. "Just tell me what's where?"

Harry kept a hold of Louis' arm as Louis mapped out the room. "There's a chest of drawers on the right. TV's on top of that."

Harry moved his cane in that direction until it came into contact with the furniture. He did the same when Louis announced the desk against the wall next to the dresser.

"The windows are straight ahead," Louis went on.

A curious look took over Harry's features. "What do they look out on?"

Louis walked them closer to the window to see. "A brick wall," he finally surmised. "The room must face the alley behind."

"A view's wasted on me anyway," Harry pointed out with a small smile.

"Bed's on the left," Louis said next. "There's a small table on each side of the bed."

Harry let go of Louis then and used the cane to walk the few steps needed to get to the bed. He leaned over with his free hand to judge the height of the bed. As he straightened back up, he asked, "Washroom?"

"Over at the end of the corridor. Here." He gave his elbow back.

They walked the couple metres to the washroom, where Harry let go of Louis again to step just inside the door.

"Sink on your right, toilet on the left, shower straight ahead."

Harry nodded and swiveled on his heel to step back out of the washroom area. "Is there a closet?"

"To your right, just inside the door."

Harry moved away from Louis and located the closet.

"Anything else?" he asked Louis.

Louis shook his head, then caught himself. "Nope. That's it."

Harry grinned. "Thanks."

Louis now had no further excuse to stay in Harry's room, so it was with surprising sadness that he said, "I suppose I should go find my own room."

Harry nodded. "Thanks for helping, Louis."

"Any time." Louis sincerely hoped there would be a next time. "I'll just grab my bag."

While Louis was collecting his backpack, Harry found and opened the hotel room door for Louis.

Louis hovered outside the door for a moment. "Sorry again for the run-in."

Harry shrugged and grinned once again. "It's okay. It worked out, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good luck with your audition," Harry wished him, clearly sincere.

Louis tapped Harry's wrist as an impromptu substitute for eye contact. "You, too."

"See ya," Harry said with one last smile.

Louis figured if Harry was okay with using the phrasing, he ought to be, too. "Yeah. See ya."

Louis waited until Harry closed the door to his room to turn and press the button to call the lift.

As he rode up to the fourth floor, he found himself already missing Harry--and hoping this wouldn't be the only time they met.

* * *

The next time Louis saw Harry was at the auditions. He was with an older woman, an older man, and a girl about Louis' age--if he didn't miss his guess--all of whom Louis assumed were Harry's family. Sadly, however, Louis didn't get the opportunity to speak to Harry at any point during the audition process. He did hear through the grapevine that "the blind kid" made it through to boot camp, which made Louis inexplicably happy, almost as happy as he was to make it through to boot camp himself.

The time between auditions and boot camp passed quickly enough and before he knew it, it was time to pack up to head to London for the second phase of _The X-Factor_.

In a fit of total coincidence, he turned around from checking in at his hotel and spotted Harry three people behind him, waiting to do his own checking in. Louis immediately moved to greet him.

Harry was standing stock-still in the queue, clearly trying to pay attention so he wouldn't miss it moving. He was just as cute as Louis remembered. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white t-shirt, not unlike Louis himself. Upon his head was a grey beanie, his dark curls escaping from just about every angle.

"Harry?" Louis said, gently touching Harry's forearm, hoping not to startle him too badly.

The other boy did jump at the out-of-nowhere touch, but quickly recovered to venture a, "Hi."

"It's Louis. Tomlinson. We met at the auditions."

The smile which broke out on Harry's face was one of the most beautiful things Louis had ever seen, and even though he knew Harry couldn't see it, he sent the smile right back.

"Louis! You made boot camp!"

"I did. I had heard you did, too. Congrats!"

"You, too."

The queue moved up and Louis alerted Harry, who carefully stepped closer to the reception desk, using his cane to gauge how much distance he had to work with.

"You on your own again?" Louis inquired.

"Right now, yes. I came on the train on my own," Harry told him. "My mum is coming down tonight."

"Mine is coming tonight, too, though I did try to talk her out of it."

Harry chuckled. "I didn't even try that. I was lucky she let me take the train by myself. She can be a little overprotective."

Louis could understand why, though he did not say so. He imagined if he was in Harry's position, he'd want a little independence, too. What he did say was, "I am available for mapping again, if you need help with that again."

A huge grin overtook Harry's face at the offer. Louis was beginning to be scarily addicted to that smile. "That would be great, if you have the time."

"Wouldn't have offered if I didn't," Louis assured him. The queue moved up again, and again Louis alerted Harry. After Harry moved forward, Louis kept pace and asked, "You nervous about boot camp?"

Harry grimaced and nodded. "Seriously. You?"

"Seriously," Louis parroted. "Absolutely petrified."

"At least we'll have a friend there, yeah?"

Warmth filled Louis' chest at the thought of Harry considering him a friend. "Yeah," he agreed.

"I don't even know what I'm going to do if they decide to make us dance," Harry confided. "I'm not too great at dancing."

"I've done a little in school plays and stuff," Louis told him. "We'll figure it out, if that's the challenge."

"We?"

"Well, we just covered that, didn't we? Friends, yeah? Friends have each other's backs."

Just like that, Louis earned himself another smile.

"Next, please?" the receptionist called, and Louis walked up to the desk with Harry and watched as he checked in. As he had been earlier in the summer, he was impressed with how well Harry handled everything, given that he couldn't see.

When Harry was done, he picked up his duffle--the same one, Louis thought, that he'd been using at the auditions--and situated his cane, holding his hand out for Louis' elbow. Louis happily gave it over. "What room did they give you?"

"318."

Louis smiled. "We're on the same floor this time. I've got 357."

"Super."

"The lifts are this way." Louis led the way to the bank of lifts, and it wasn't long until they were standing in front of room 318.

Remembering his initial problem with the key last time Louis had helped him to his room, Harry held the key up for Louis' inspection. "Any pesky arrows?"

Louis smirked and turned the key so the "pesky arrow" it did, indeed, have was facing the correct direction. "There. That should work."

Harry let them into the room, and Louis automatically took Harry's duffle and set it on the bed with his own backpack. "So, same drill as before?"

Harry nodded.

It only took Louis a few minutes to walk Harry around the room, making sure to point out all the furniture, describe the view (another wall; that made Harry giggle), and explain that the art on the wall was something Harry should be glad not to have to look at.

When they were done, Harry thanked Louis again.

"My pleasure," Louis said. As he went to retrieve his backpack from the end of the bed, an idea occurred to him. "Hey, have you had lunch?"

Harry shook his head.

"Fancy going to find some with me?" Louis wondered aloud. "I'm starving."

"Sure," Harry responded with a smile. "Sounds good."

"Great! I'd just like to dump my bag in my room, then we can go. Do you want to come with?"

"Sure."

The boys made quick work of dropping Louis' backpack off in his room before heading back down to the lobby and out onto the street.

"So, what kind of food are you in the mood for?" Louis asked, looking from left to right to scope out their choices.

Harry shrugged. "We could just walk along and see what you see."

It was actually Harry who wound up being the one to find an appetizing establishment when they weren't even a block from the hotel. Wrinkling his nose, he said, "I smell fish and chips."

Louis looked to their right. "You've got a good nose. Fish and chip shop right here. Will that work?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Louis suggested that Harry save them a table outside while he went in to get the food. Harry argued that it was a slightly-less-than-equitable division of labor, but when Louis agreed to let Harry pay with the twenty he pulled from his pocket, they had a deal.

It was not long before Louis returned to the table with their lunch so the boys could tuck in.

After a few moments of silence during which the friends staved off their initial ravenous hunger, Louis washed some chips down with his soda and cleared his throat. "So, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Harry quirked the corner of his mouth in a knowing smile. "Since I was born."

Louis chuckled. "I was going to ask you what your favourite band was."

"You were not," Harry countered, smiling. "'Do you mind if I ask you a question?' is always followed by 'How long have you been blind?' I've done intensive study in this."

"Okay, you caught me. So, you've never been able to see?"

Harry shook his head. "I have a little bit of light perception, some shadows. Nothing else."

"How did it happen?" Louis wondered aloud. "If that's okay to ask."

"Of course it is," Harry assured him. "I was born with immature retinas. They don't work the way they're supposed to."

"There was nothing they could do to fix it?"

Harry shook his head again, not fazed at all. "Nope, nothing." 

"I'm not sure I'd be leaving my house if I couldn't see," Louis admitted. "Much less trying out for _The X-Factor_."

Harry shrugged. "You know what it's like to see. I've never known anything else. I love to sing, and people thought I was good enough to come try out. So I figured what the hell. The hardest part was not figuring out how to do this and be blind. The hardest part was convincing my mum I could do it."

"How did you finally convince her?" Louis began to nibble at the second of his three pieces of fish.

"Many, many hours of wheedling. And help from my sister."

"And now you've made boot camp."

Harry grinned. "And she was both happy and mad about that."

"Happy because you did well, but mad because…?"

"Because I did well, and that meant coming down to big, scary London."

"Have you ever been down here before?" Louis asked.

Harry nodded. "But not by myself. And I insisted on arriving by myself. I thought my mum was going to have a heart attack."

"But you did it."

"I did." Harry said proudly before shoving a chip in his mouth. "So, what's your story?"

"My story is boring," Louis protested.

Harry huffed. "We just spent time discussing my eyesight--or lack thereof. Now that's boring. I am sure you're not boring. Tell me where you're from."

"I'm from Doncaster."

"And what do you do in Doncaster?"

"I've been getting ready to head to uni."

"Which one?"

Louis shrugged. "Not sure."

"You do know it's near the end of July?"

Louis couldn't help but chuckle. "You sound like my mum. I know, I know. I just need to see how boot camp goes."

"What do you want to study?" Harry asked next, tearing his fish into little pieces to eat.

"I want to be a drama teacher."

Harry smiled. "Have you been in drama productions, then?"

"I have. I was in Grease recently, playing Danny Zuko."

"That's so cool!"

"What about you? Have you gotten to perform a lot?" Louis wanted to know.

"I was lead singer in a band called White Eskimo," Harry told him. "It was me and some of my friends from school. We won a battle of the bands thing."

"That's awesome. No wonder you made boot camp."

"I just hope I don't flame out early," Harry confessed softly.

Trying something which he hoped was a good substitute for a comforting look, Louis risked reaching his hand out to touch Harry's forearm. Harry jumped a little at the sudden contact, but immediately smiled thanks. "I'm sure you're going to do great," Louis added.

Harry pulled his arm away from Louis only to copy the gesture and touch Louis' forearm gently. "I'm sure you are, too."

The emotion of the moment cast silence over both of the boys during which they each finished almost all the rest their meals.

As Louis was finishing his last chip, he had an idea which he shared straight away. "Do you want to go to boot camp together in the morning?"

"That would be super," Harry said. "But you'll have to put up with my mum, too. I know she wants to come check it all out. Make sure I'm not in mortal danger there and all that."

"Oh, my mum, too. I told her I was eighteen and didn't need her here, but she said she just wanted to come the first day for moral support. I told her that was all she was allowed, though she'll probably talk her way into more."

Harry chuckled. "You're lucky to be eighteen already. If I was eighteen, I might be able to convince her to back off a little. Maybe."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Wow." Louis was even more impressed now. Just sixteen years old, blind, and coping with a high pressure situation like trying out for _The X-Factor_. That took a lot of courage.

Harry just nodded.

Louis returned to thoughts on their plans. "Well, we can just introduce our mums, then. Maybe they'll get on well and ignore us."

Harry grinned, the dimples in his cheeks deep. "I like the way you think." He popped his own last chip in his mouth.

"Done?" Louis asked.

Harry nodded and yawned.

It was Louis' turn to chuckle. "Bored?"

"No. Exhausted. I barely slept last night, I was so nervous."

"Me, too. What do you say we clean up our rubbish and go back to the hotel for naps?"

"If my mum was making that suggestion, I'd be all 'no'." Since she's not, I'll admit I am all for that."

Louis grinned and stood, beginning to gather the remnants of their greasy lunch feast.

"I can take care of my own," Harry told him, crumpling up his newspaper.

Louis made some quick calculations. "The bin is about two metres directly behind you."

"What's that in steps?"

"4? 5?"

Harry gathered his rubbish in one hand and got out his cane with the other and followed Louis' directions, finding the waste bin with relative ease. Louis met him there with his own rubbish, and then they headed back to the hotel.

Back in front of Harry's room, the boys made plans to meet up in the morning with their mums for breakfast before heading over to Wembley for Day One of boot camp.

"Thanks for coming to lunch with me," Louis told Harry before they parted.

Harry smiled widely. "I had a good time."

"See you bright and early in the morning. Be ready to kick some ass."

Harry nodded. "All right. I will prepare for some ass kicking." Pulling his hotel key from his wallet--facing the right direction--Harry turned a little to fit the key in the lock.

"Sleep well, Harry."

"You, too."

Louis didn't leave until Harry was safely inside.

* * *

Louis and his mum made it to the hotel restaurant first and secured a table. His mum had been thrilled that Louis had made such a good friend to go through this experience with. She'd been surprised when Louis had explained that Harry was blind, but she told him how proud she was that Louis hadn't let the fact that Harry couldn't see keep him from befriending him. Louis couldn't imagine letting that stop him.

Louis sat facing in such a direction that he could keep an eagle eye out for people entering the dining room so he could lead Harry and his mother to their table. He didn't have to wait long. About five minutes after they were seated, he spotted Harry and the woman he'd seen accompanying Harry to his audition. Louis jumped up to meet them immediately.

With a smile he hoped carried to his voice, he greeted his friend first. "Harry! Good morning,"

Right on cue came the smile Louis had come to love. "Louis. Hi." Harry was dressed very casually in khaki pants and a black shirt, with a brown hat atop his riot of curls. "This is my mum, Anne Cox."

"Ms. Cox," Louis said, pulling his attention away from Harry and turning to Harry's mum to hold out his hand. "I'm Louis Tomlinson."

"It's Anne," Harry's mother corrected as she took his hand and then showed him from whom Harry had gotten his smile. "It's nice to meet you, Louis. Thank you for being such a good friend to my son."

Louis pointed behind himself. "Our table's just back there."

"Lead the way," Harry's mum said.

Louis noticed that Harry didn't even have his cane out, even though he was in an unfamiliar place. He assumed that this was because he completely trusted his mother to guide him. He listened as Harry's mum quietly gave him directions about the narrow aisle between tables, impressed with how natural the interaction between them was.

When they got to the table, Louis' mother stood up and smiled. "You must be Harry." She held out her hand to him, and Harry reached out and shook it with his free hand. "I'm Jay Tomlinson, Louis' mum."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Tomlinson."

"Please call me Jay," she implored.

Jay then her hand out next to Harry's mother, who introduced herself. "I'm Anne Cox."

Introductions all completed, Anne made sure Harry found his chair, and they all got seated. Louis looked on with great interest as Harry lightly ran his fingers over the place setting in front of himself, finding his fork, knife, spoon, and water glass. Soon after Harry placed his napkin in his lap, a waiter appeared to pour tea or coffee for all of them, promising to be back for their order shortly.

Anne turned to Jay and said, "I was just telling Louis how grateful I am that he's been such a good friend to Harry."

Jay smiled. "Louis has said nothing but good things about Harry." She took a sip of her coffee, then directed her gaze at her son's new friend. "So, Harry, are you nervous about today? Louis did nothing but toss and turn all night."

Harry nodded. "Me, too."

"You both should be proud to have gotten this far, no matter how boot camp goes," Anne told them, looking fondly from Harry to Louis.

"I agree," Jay put in.

Anne looked in the direction of their waiter, who was hovering nearby. "Maybe we should decide what we want before the waiter implodes because we're taking so long."

They took a few moments to peruse their menus--Anne reading the options to Harry--then gave their order to the nervous waiter before continuing their conversation.

"Harry, Louis told me you guys met when he knocked you down on the sidewalk," Jay said, smiling.

Before Harry could respond, Louis piped up. "Best thing I've done all summer. And that includes auditioning for _The X-Factor_."

The blush that crept up Harry's cheeks was positively endearing.

"Harry said you were very helpful at the hotel," Anne put in. "I'm kind of glad you ran into him, too."

"Hey!" Harry protested, though it was clear he got the intent of both Louis and Anne. "I could have been injured."

"But you weren't," Anne reminded him, patting his hand. "And now you have someone to help you at boot camp."

The pink in Harry's cheeks intensified exponentially, and the look on his face morphed from mock distress to actual distress. "It is not Louis' job to help me at boot camp. I can take care of myself at boot camp." His tone was defensive, and Louis could tell this was not a new argument. He wondered if it had been an argument Harry had been having his entire life.

"But you know it will be easier if you have help," Anne countered persistently.

Harry pulled in a deep breath, then let it out slowly, clearly trying to calm himself before he said anything he regretted in mixed company. He was clearly struggling to keep his voice even as he said, "We talked about this, Mum. I want to do this on my own."

"There's no shame in needing a little help."

Louis could tell that Harry was about to lose his cool, big time. He couldn't blame him, though he could see Anne's side, too. In an attempt to diffuse the tension, Louis said, "I'm happy to help Harry however I can, but from what I've seen, he doesn't really need much help at all."

Harry immediately shot a grateful smile in Louis' direction. "Thanks."

Anne nodded, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. "Okay. Message received. But I'm still going over there with you. I'd be doing that even if you could see. You're still only sixteen."

Harry turned his smile on her. "I know."

The waiter arrived at this point with their food, effectively putting a stop to the conversation.

Once all their food had been put down, Louis was momentarily distracted from his own by watching and listening to Anne describing where Harry's food was on his plate, likening it to a clock face. They were fascinating, all the little things which helped Harry to navigate through the world. When Harry began to eat, Louis did the same, not wanting to be caught staring.

The rest of the meal passed quite pleasantly. The mums began to quietly compare notes about having their sons embarking on this adventure while Louis and Harry discussed their favourite singers and musicians. It turned out they did not have a lot in common in this area, although there were some musicians they agreed were good.

Before Louis knew it, the waiter was presenting his mother with the bill. It was time to head over and let boot camp begin.

Harry and Louis both had to bring a bag with some of their belongings to boot camp as it was possible they would need a change of clothes owing to whatever Simon Cowell and his colleagues asked them to prepare. Neither of them required much time to pack what they needed, so they agreed to meet in front of the hotel to walk over together fifteen minutes after paying the bill.

By the time the boys had collected their things and reconvened in front of the hotel with their mothers, there was a sizeable crowd heading toward Wembley Arena. The Styleses and Tomlinsons joined them. There wasn't much chatting as they walked, each of them lost in their own thoughts on the experience that was almost upon them.

When they got to the arena, Louis and Harry were directed to the area of the complex where the 100 boys that had made it to boot camp would work together on the various challenges thrown their way. Their mothers were directed to an area for friends and family to wait.

Before they parted ways, Anne asked if she could speak to Louis privately. Harry began to protest immediately, but she shushed him and told him it was nothing bad. When Louis agreed to the request, Harry stayed with Jay while Anne led Louis to a corner that would be out of Harry's earshot.

She cleared her throat and smiled before explaining, "Harry has always been very independent. Even when he was a little boy, he wanted to do as much as he could on his own. I'm so, so proud of him."

"He's amazing," Louis commented, offering his own smile.

"He is. He handles himself so well. Better than I ever dreamed," she agreed. "But there are times he really does need help, and he won't always ask for it. I just wanted to ask you to keep an eye on him for me."

"I can do that," Louis assured her.

"Don't mess up your own audition on his account," Anne went on. "I don't want you to do that, okay? Just check up on him every now and then."

"Sure. Don't worry."

"Oh, I will anyway," she told him. "But I will worry less if I know you'll watch out for him when you can."

He nodded. "I will. I promise."

She kissed him on the cheek and then led the way back to where Harry and Jay were exchanging what sounded like small talk as Louis and Anne approached them.

While Harry and Anne shared some final whispered words, Jay wished Louis luck. "You're going to be great, honey. You have an amazing voice. Just make sure you show them everything you've got."

Unwittingly, he spoke the same words to his mother that he'd just spoken to Harry's. "I will. I promise."

Jay gave him a hug and a kiss before he resituated his bag on his shoulder and waited for Harry to be ready to go.

Harry's mum hugged him fiercely, then wished him good luck, and, Harry taking Louis' elbow in his hand, the two friends headed toward their destiny…whatever it might be.

* * *

The boys were all gathered in a huge room located inside the complex. When they entered the room, an _X-Factor_ staff member directed them to a table to take some paperwork, get a photo taken, and get a number.

Louis couldn't help but notice the stares that set upon them the minute they stepped through the door. Many pairs of eyes focused squarely on Harry as Harry carefully moved his cane back and forth in an arc, checking for obstacles in his path. It was amazing how people were so open about staring when the subject of their ogling couldn't see them. Louis shook his head a little, but he otherwise ignored them and moved to the table to check Harry and himself in.

Louis posed for his photo first, then helped Harry situate himself for his. After that was done, he took paperwork for himself and for Harry and was told that numbers would be given to them when they turned the paperwork in.

They found two seats, but Harry didn't sit down when Louis did. Instead he said, "Maybe I should go get my mum to fill out the paperwork."

Louis tugged on Harry's wrist, trying to pull Harry down next to him. "Don't be daft. I can do it. You'll just need to tell me what to write."

Harry scrunched up his face with concern. "Are you sure? You already have your own to do."

"It's just a couple pages," Louis informed him. "It's fine. Sit down."

"Only if you're sure."

Louis sighed overdramatically. "I'm positive. Now sit down." He tugged on Harry's wrist again, and this time Harry allowed himself to be pulled down into the seat, folding his cane as he did so, resting it in his lap when he was done.

Louis secured the papers to the clipboard he'd also been handed. "Why don't we do yours first?"

It became quickly obvious to Louis that this was not the first time Harry had had to have someone else fill in paperwork for him. He provided the answers Louis needed to write down clearly, spelling out any names that might be unclear. When Louis got to the bottom of the last sheet, he asked Harry, "Can you do your signature? They just need one."

Harry nodded and held out his right hand for the pen. "Just put your finger where it needs to go."

Louis did as he was told and Harry used his left hand to find Louis' finger. He replaced Louis' with his own and then carefully signed the paper. It wasn't the prettiest signature Louis had ever seen, but it would do.

"Looks great," he said.

"Liar," Harry countered with a grin.

Louis chuckled. "I'll just quick do mine, then I can get us some numbers."

Harry nodded and leaned back to give Louis room to write again.

It wasn't long before Louis was done and asking Harry to save his seat so he could go turn in the papers. The staff gave him two numbers in return and all that was left was to wait until the early afternoon when they would all convene in the arena to meet the judges and get their first challenge.

Harry and Louis passed the time chatting and comparing songs they had on their respective mp3 players. Louis had wondered how Harry would be able to manage something like an iPod, which was all visual menus. But Harry had an iPod Shuffle which had no screen, only buttons to navigate through playlists. Harry explained that he simply made his playlists on his computer and transferred them to the Shuffle. Then he argued that he had better musical tastes than Louis.

Finally it was time for them to head out into the arena. Louis and Harry made their way onto the stage and stood on the edge of the huge crowd. It wasn't long before they had all been gathered, and they brought in the judges to massive cheers.

Simon welcomed them, congratulating them on making it to boot camp, then he went over the rules and the challenges each group would undertake. Then, as quick as they came, the judges left, and the staff sorted the contestants back into the groups in which they'd checked in--boys, girls, over-25s and groups. While the other groups filed off into other parts of the arena, the boys were herded back into the room where they'd cooled their heels before Simon arrived.

The vocal coaches met them there and explained that the boys would be singing "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson for their first challenge.

"Awesome," Harry shared his opinion of the revelation in a whisper to Louis.

The next two hours flew by. The boys were put through their paces, learning the lyrics and singing the song over and over and over until they--hopefully--knew it cold. Then it was a long, long wait for their turn on the stage.

Louis and Harry were put into different groups to sing on stage. Louis's group went first.

Harry waited off to the side to listen to Louis sing. Louis could hear him cheering when he was done with his turn. He came off the stage a little high from performing, moving right to Harry's side.

"I'm back," he announced himself.

"You were great," Harry complimented enthusiastically.

"Really?"

Harry nodded. "How did it feel?"

"Crazy nerve-wracking, but good. Hopefully I did well enough not to be cut."

"They won't cut you," Harry predicted confidently. "Though there were a few boys in your line who may not be so lucky."

It was at that moment when they called Harry's group. Much to Louis' relief, one of the other boys in Harry's group--a guy called Matt--came over to see if Harry needed any help. Harry accepted the offer and walked onto the stage holding Matt's elbow.

Louis held his breath anxiously as he waited for Harry to be allowed to sing. When it was his turn, Harry nailed his performance, and he seemed quite pleased when his group was done and Matt brought him back over to Louis.

"Harry, you were super."

Harry grinned. "You think so?"

"Yeah. Really, really good."

"Thanks."

"They would be absolute fools to cut you," Louis declared.

"Well, then, I shall think good thoughts for both of us."

After all the boys were finished, they were returned to their practise room to wait to be called back to the stage to learn their fate. All the boys had a great deal of nervous energy to work off as they waited for the other groups to finish their turns. Many of them huddled in small groups to pass the time, some chatting, some playing games on their smartphones, and a few playing cards that someone had had the foresight to bring. 

Nearby where Louis and Harry had sat themselves was a blond boy with a guitar who was amassing a tiny crowd. Louis and Harry decided to join them, dragging their chairs over so they wouldn't have to sit on the floor.

While they were settling themselves, the boy with the guitar finished his song and greeted them. "Hey there. Yay, more people! I'm Niall," he introduced himself with a soft Irish lilt.

"Louis."

"Harry."

After they all shook hands, Niall asked, "Any requests?"

Louis couldn't think of anything right off the top of his head, but Harry piped up with, "Know any Beatles songs?"

"Of course!" Niall immediately launched into "Here Comes the Sun." Everyone in the small circle joined in on the singing.

Niall knew a great number of songs, and they were still throwing out requests when everyone was called back to the stage for the first cuts. Louis and Harry stood anxiously with several of the boys from the small circle as they were each called in different lines to find out whether they'd gotten through to Day Two or if they were done.

Louis and Harry were, thankfully, called to the stage in the same line. After a few tense moments where the judges kept them in suspense just a little bit more, they were both deeply relieved and excited to make it through.

After a brief celebration backstage with the others who made it through, they went, exhausted, to find their mothers, share the good news, and, as luck would have it, retire once again to the hotel before starting all over the next day with the second challenge. It was late, and they didn't think they could make it through dinner out, so the boys ordered pizza into Harry's room while their mums insisted on going to the hotel restaurant together for what they called a "proper meal." Louis was secretly pleased for the extra time with Harry all to himself.

Harry decided that he was going to shower before the pizza came. Louis thought about going back to his own room to do the same, but found he was happy enough just laying back on Harry's bed, listening to Harry putter around in the washroom.

At the same time as Harry emerged from the washroom in plaid pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt, hair slicked back and wet, room service knocked to deliver their pizza. Louis found himself regretting not getting longer just then to appreciate dressed-down Harry, but got up to receive their dinner.

The boys decided to eat sitting right in the middle of the bed. After he'd eaten three-quarters of a slice, Harry said, "This tastes amazing. It feels like I haven't eaten in ages."

"You haven't," Louis pointed out. They had skipped lunch, too worried about what the afternoon held to stomach anything.

"Right." Harry finished off his first slice and started in on his second.

Louis was completely distracted by the careful way Harry managed his food, taking small bites of the pizza, holding his plate close to prevent an accident.

"Are you going to eat, too?" Harry wondered out loud.

Louis raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You can tell I'm not eating?"

"Of course. When I reached down for my second slice, there was only my first one missing. Also, I can't hear you chewing."

"You're amazing."

Harry shrugged modestly, a pink tint colouring his cheeks.

"You are," Louis insisted.

"You could do it, too, if you had to," Harry insisted right back. "It's just a matter of paying attention to details. You know, things you can hear, smell or touch."

"I can't even imagine it. Being blind," Louis confessed softly.

"It's really not that bad," Harry tried to assure him. "I mean, there are things about it which kind of suck, but I decided a long time ago that I could either wallow or just get on with it. I'm just getting on with it."

Louis still thought Harry was amazing, but instead of pressing the issue, he went ahead and grabbed a slice of pizza and started staving off his own hunger.

After a few moments of munching, Harry asked, "So, what do you think our challenge will be tomorrow?"

"I don't even know. You have any predictions?" Louis polished off his first slice and reached for a second as he waited for Harry's response.

Harry shook his head. "I'm just really hoping it's not dancing. I suck at dancing."

Louis actually would have laid down money that dancing would be the second challenge, but he didn't want to say so and worry Harry any further. "Maybe it will be working in groups. Like Hollywood Week on _American Idol_."

"Maybe. That wouldn't be so bad," Harry allowed. "We could be in a group together."

"I just really want to get to my solo song," Louis told him.

"Me, too. That's where I think I can show them what I can do."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

An amicable silence passed as Harry finished his third slice and Louis his second.

"I'm stuffed," Harry concluded, patting his stomach.

"Me, too." Louis said, following his words with a giant yawn.

Harry chuckled. "Tired?"

"I am more than tired. I am wiped."

Harry reached down to pop open the cover of a watch Louis had never really noticed before. Louis watched, fascinated, as Harry ran a finger over the face before announcing, "It's nearly ten."

Louis sighed. "I should probably get a shower and some sleep so I'm rested for whatever they have in store for us tomorrow."

Harry nodded agreement. "That makes sense. I feel like I am ready to pass out."

Louis helped Harry clean up after their meal, putting the box of leftover pizza onto the desk and making sure there were no crumbs on the bed.

"So," Louis said, beginning to move towards the door of Harry's room, "second verse, same as the first? Breakfast tomorrow before we go back to the arena?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

When Louis got to the door, he gripped the handle, turning it slowly before looking back over his shoulder at Harry. "Hey, we kicked ass today."

Harry chuckled. "We did indeed."

"Let's do it again tomorrow."

"All right," Harry agreed without hesitation.

Louis took another moment to drink in the sight of the dimples and warm smile on Harry's face. Tired as he was, he was reluctant to leave them. However, he was also way too tired to examine his feelings where Harry was concerned. So, he simply said, "Sleep well, Harry," and opened the door

"You, too. See you in the morning."

* * *

The second challenge was dancing. Louis and Harry were standing side by side on the stage when Simon made the announcement, and Louis felt Harry shudder as soon as the words were out of Simon's mouth.

"It's gonna be okay," Louis whispered.

Harry shook his head minutely.

Louis reached out and touched Harry's forearm. "It is."

Simon introduced their choreographer, Brian Friedman, who explained that they would be learning the dance en masse. All the contestants who had survived the cut on the previous evening were gathered on the large stage. Brian told them to take fifteen minutes to take care of business--getting comfortable clothes and shoes, getting water, using the washroom--then they would be getting started.

Harry literally slumped to the floor when they were dismissed, dropping his cane so he could wrap his arms around his knees and plant his face in his lap.

Unfazed by the small number of people who immediately started staring at Harry, Louis crouched down so he could put his hand on Harry's back."It’s going to be fine, Harry. I promise. Let's go get on some track pants, and we'll figure this out."

It took Harry a full minute to compose himself enough to nod assent. "Okay."

Louis took Harry's upper arm to help him up, then picked up Harry's cane, handing it back to him matter-of-factly. Harry reached out for Louis' elbow, and then Louis led the way back to the boys' holding room, where all their bags were. They each changed into track pants and t-shirts and used the facilities before returning to the stage.

They had a little time before Brian was to start to work out a battle plan.

"I think it makes sense for us to just stand at the side, and once I have the moves, I can show you," Louis said with as much confidence as he could muster. "I'm pretty quick at picking up steps, so it'll just be a matter of describing to you what they are."

Harry shrugged. "I guess." He didn't sound entirely convinced, but he didn't sound against trying it, either, and Louis figured it was the best they could do at this point. They could revisit their strategy when and if they needed.

Brian eventually called them all to order to get started. Louis and Harry stationed themselves off to the side where no one would be distracted by Louis working with Harry. Once all the murmuring from the contestants died down, Brian and his team of choreographers showed them the whole dance they would be doing. Louis decided that it would be challenging, but not impossible to teach to someone who couldn't see.

Brian and his colleagues broke down the moves for the group, showing them one piece at a time, then letting them practise it before moving on to the next piece.

Louis tried practising it on his own a few times, then he would describe it verbally for Harry, who had varying levels of success duplicating that which Louis was describing.

After about thirty minutes of practise, a break was called. Louis got water bottles for both he and Harry, and as they sat on the floor and rehydrated, they debriefed the first dance session.

"Do you feel like you're getting it?" Louis asked after downing half of his water.

"I dunno," Harry said worriedly. "Maybe. How do I look?"

"Not bad."

Harry sighed. "Not good, either, I'd imagine."

"Maybe I'm not describing things well enough."

From above Louis' head someone cleared their throat. Louis looked up and saw a boy about his own age with straight, dark hair and warm brown eyes. "Hi," the boy said.

"Hi," Louis returned.

"I'm Liam." The boy crouched down so he was almost at Louis' eye level.

"I'm Louis, and this is Harry," Louis told him.

"Hi," Harry said.

"I couldn't help but overhear what you guys were just saying, and I was watching you while we were all practising," Liam confessed.

"Creepy," Louis commented wryly.

Liam tilted his head in apology. "Anyway, I had an idea."

"An idea for what?" Harry inquired.

"How to help you with the dance moves."

"Oh?" Harry's tone suggested he was willing to listen.

"I'm not sure that describing the moves is enough," Liam explained. "I think you need to be able to feel what we're doing. I'm happy to offer myself as a model."

Harry paused to think about the idea Liam was presenting. After a moment, he said, "I guess that makes sense."

Liam smiled. "Also, I was thinking we could think of some signals for making sure you're going the right direction. I watched _American Idol_ last year, and they had a guy on there who was blind. During the group numbers, one of them would just tap him to let him know they were moving and where to go. Seemed to work."

Louis spent the entirety of this exchange trying to tamp down the raging green monster attacking him. It should have been him coming up with a brilliant idea to help Harry, not some stranger who had been watching them less than an hour. He knew, though, that that was unfair. If what Liam suggested worked, that was good for Harry. And he found himself wanting everything good for Harry.

"Louis?" Harry asked as if he was trying to regain Louis' attention.

Louis shook off the less-than-charitable things he was thinking about Liam and said, "What? I'm sorry. Was lost in thought."

"Do you think Liam's idea will work?" Harry spoke as if clearly repeating something he'd already voiced.

"It's worth a shot," Louis said, working hard not to sound put out.

"Excellent," Liam enthused.

At that moment, the choreographers declared the break was over, and it was time to get back to work. Louis, Harry, and Liam capped their water bottles, and Liam joined Harry and Louis in a small line at the side of the stage.

In almost no time at all, the three boys had established a rhythm. When the choreographers would show the group at large a new move, Louis and Liam would try first, for themselves. Once they established that they had it, Louis would describe it for Harry. If Harry got it, they just practised. If Harry couldn't duplicate the move, Liam would demonstrate it while Louis helped Harry feel what Liam was doing. This seemed to work well to fill in the gaps, and by the time the choreographers were ready to put it all together, Harry pretty much had it.

After that, it was just a matter of coming up with some cues. Louis and Liam took turns cuing Harry, and they were also able to use the lyrics in the song to help, since the music was restarted each time they began the dance.

When they were told that the next step was to start performing the dance for the judges in groups, Louis went to one of the staff and requested that he, Harry, and Liam be allowed to perform together. The staff didn't argue, and the three boys were put in the group which would perform fourth.

While they waited for their turn, they found a spot backstage to practise, making sure they were as prepared as possible when their line was called.

After the third group went, Louis, Harry, and Liam's group was called to the stage, Harry took Louis' elbow to find his place, leaving his cane backstage so as not to be in the way. He stood in between Louis and Liam and waited patiently for the music to start.

When it didn't start right away, those waiting to dance knew something was wrong.

Simon and the other judges were checking their line against the notes they had about who was who. After about a minute, Simon loudly announced, "Zayn Malik is missing. Does anyone know where he is?"

Someone standing to the side of the stage piped up to answer, "I saw him going behind the stage, saying he wasn't going to dance."

Simon sighed heavily and turned to the other judges present. "Someone needs to go talk to him."

Louis heard Harry clear his throat. "Can I do it?"

Simon looked up at the stage. "Who said that?"

Harry cleared his throat again and raised his hand. "Me. Can I go talk to him?"

Simon shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

Harry turned to Louis. "Can you help me find him?"

"Sure," Louis replied, offering his elbow, then beginning to head backstage.

It did not take long for them to arrive in the large area backstage where there were rows of chairs set up for waiting. The area was empty save for one person.

"Do you know what he looks like?" Harry asked.

"I don't need to." He walked up to the dark-haired boy sitting in a chair in the middle of the front row. The boy sat with his elbows on his knees, his face planted in his hands--the very picture of despair. "Are you Zayn?" 

The boy looked up with sad brown eyes and nodded.

"I'm Louis, and this," he pointed, "is Harry."

Zayn looked from Louis to Harry, then back again, but he didn't say anything, just regarded them with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Can we sit?" Harry asked.

Zayn nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

"He said yes," Louis interpreted the body language for Harry. Then he did as he'd watched Anne do the previous morning at breakfast, and he took Harry's hand from his elbow and he put it on the back of the chair next to Zayn's. Harry felt for the seat, then settled himself in it. Louis sat down on Harry's other side.

"So," Harry began. "Someone said they heard you say you weren't going to do the dancing."

"Yeah," Zayn concurred.

"Why?"

"Because I'm shit at it. And I signed on to sing, not dance."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Harry commiserated.

Zayn looked over sympathetically at Harry, but said nothing.

"What if they say they're going to send you home if you refuse to come out and do the dancing?" Harry wondered out loud.

"I guess I'll go home," Zayn answered sadly. "I look like an idiot out there. I don't want to be the idiot who can't dance on TV."

"Would you maybe consider being one of two idiots who can't dance on TV?" Harry inquired.

"Huh?" Zayn's face displayed no small amount of confusion.

"Just in case you missed it, I'm blind."

"Yeah, I noticed."

Harry continued, "Dancing is definitely not my strong suit either. It took Louis and one other guy just to help me figure out what I was supposed to be doing. And I am pretty sure that I still pretty much suck."

"You don't," Louis jumped in.

"Lies," Harry shot back. "Anyway, what if we went out there and looked like idiots together? We could split the focus. And since our group is up next, if we went out there right now, it would all be over in ten minutes."

"I don't know," Zayn replied hesitantly.

"You've made it all the way to the second day of boot camp. Do you really want to give up now?" Harry questioned, his tone deadly serious.

Zayn didn’t respond right away, but after a few moments of thought, he softly said, "No."

Harry grinned and reached a hand out to place on Zayn's thigh. "Excellent. Let's go." He wasted no time in standing up and holding his hand out for Louis.

The three boys made their way back to the stage. When they got there, Simon snarkily asked, "So, are we all quite ready to carry on now we've had our first diva moment?"

"Yes," Zayn told him soberly. "Sorry."

"In a line, boys," the choreographer ordered.

Louis, Harry, Liam, and Zayn placed themselves in that order at one end of the line, waited for the music and worked their way through the routine they'd been taught. Harry and Zayn both suffered a couple missteps, but they made it through to the end. It was smiles all around when they were dismissed.

Louis, Liam, and Harry moved off to wait in the wings for the dancing to end so they could find out about the cuts.

When they found a good spot in which to wait, Harry said, "Liam, you still here?"

"Yep."

"Thanks, man."

"No sweat," Liam assured him.

At that moment, Zayn came up to the little group. "Harry?"

"Zayn! We made it!"

Zayn smiled. "Thanks to you. Thanks for talking me into doing it."

Harry smiled back at him. "I'm glad I could help."

Zayn waited with them until Simon summoned them all to the stage a few minutes later. They all held their breath until he announced that there would be no cuts after the dancing. Everyone on stage would need to prepare a song of their own to perform on the final day of boot camp.

Louis couldn't help himself. He immediately wrapped Harry up in a hug. To his immense pleasure, Harry hugged him back just as enthusiastically. They'd lived to see one more day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On to the rest of boot camp.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos, comments, and subscriptions! Hopefully everyone will continue to enjoy the story!

The boys met up early the following morning to once again share breakfast and head over to the arena. They had spent the better part of the previous evening poring over the list of songs they had to choose from for their solo performance, and they had each picked a song they felt they knew well and would be able to sing without too much trouble. Louis chose "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele, and Harry chose "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" by Oasis.

They were nervous as they made their way from the hotel to practise for the performance which would determine whether or not they stayed in the competition. When they got there, they discovered that they would be practising for their song with others who had chosen the same song to perform. Which meant they would be separated.

"I'll walk you to your group," Louis told Harry after they bid their mothers goodbye.

It took a little walking around, but they finally found the Oasis group in a room behind the stage by following their ears to where they could hear people already practising the song.

"This sounds like the place," Harry said, though he showed no signs of being ready to go in.

"You're going to do great," Louis told him. "It's a good song, and you have the perfect voice for it."

"Thanks. I think you made a good choice, too."

"I should--" Louis began right over Harry's "Could you--"

"You go," Louis allowed.

"Okay. Could you maybe describe the room for me before you go find your space?"

"Sure." Louis peered into the room. "It's not too big a room. Maybe ten people here. Chairs are all along the wall with a big space in the middle for practising. Piano's in the far left corner."

Harry smiled. "Thanks."

"So…." Louis felt truly reluctant to leave. He also felt like he was perhaps more attached to Harry than he should be to someone he'd known less than five days total. Yet there it was. However, he knew he needed to go and take care of his own song. He wanted to make it through to Judges' Houses more than anything, and he couldn't practise his song standing there.

He was clearing his throat to go ahead and take his leave when Liam came bounding up to them. "Louis! Harry!"

Harry smiled at the enthusiastic greeting. "Morning, Liam."

"Are you two here in the Oasis room, too?" Liam asked.

"He is, I'm not," Louis responded.

Liam threw an arm over Harry's shoulders. "Well, we will miss you, Louis. Who are you singing?"

"Adele."

"Cool."

"I hope so," Louis said.

Inside the room, it sounded like the vocal coach was getting ready to gather everyone around to start. "We should go," Liam suggested.

Louis nodded.

"Good luck with Adele," Liam wished him.

Liam was already trying to drag Harry into the room when Harry checked, "See you when practise is over?"

"Of course."

"Great," Harry said before following Liam over to the small crowd in the center of the room.

Louis watched them for one more moment before heading off to find the others who were singing Adele.

Practise lasted several hours, and it was almost lunchtime before Louis' vocal coach announced that the Adele group was good to go. Several of Louis' fellow Adele singers wanted to stay to practise a little more, but Louis felt totally prepared, and he wasted no time in heading back over to where he'd left Harry and Liam.

The Oasis group was still practising, so Louis slipped just inside the door to watch and listen.

Harry and Liam were standing near each other to the right side of the group. Louis found he could easily pick up Harry's low voice within the group. He sounded really good, and Louis hoped with all his heart that the judges would think so, too. Of course, he also hoped the judges would think he himself sounded amazing, too, and send them both through to Judges' Houses.

The Oasis group did one more run through while Louis stood there, then the vocal coach told them he thought they were ready.

Louis watched as Liam and Harry traded some whispered words, then turned to leave the room. Harry pulled his cane from his back pocket and straightened it out before taking Liam's elbow. As they made their way around the crowd, Liam spotted Louis leaning against the wall. "Louis!"

Louis' heart swelled when he watched Harry's face light up as Liam's exclamation announced Louis' presence. "Hi, Louis," Harry greeted softly as he and Liam came to a stop right in front of him.

"Hey," Louis returned. "You both sounded great."

"Thanks. How'd your practise go?" Harry asked.

"Good. I think I'm just about as ready as I'm going to be."

Harry smiled. "You have any idea how long we're going to have to wait to perform? Our vocal coach was very closed-mouth about it."

"Ours just said that if all the groups were ready, we'd start performing for the judges around three or so," Louis informed him.

Harry popped open his watch and said, "Well, it's one now. Should we maybe get something to eat?"

Liam piped up to say, "They had a food truck here yesterday. Maybe there's one here again today. Shall we go check it out?"

Louis nodded. "Sure."

Harry very deliberately removed his hand from Liam's elbow and held it in Louis' direction. "Louis?" he requested shyly.

Louis' stomach did a little flip at the unabashed trust he'd clearly gained from Harry, and he readily offered his elbow as Liam moved out of the way, seemingly unperturbed at being usurped.

The trio worked their way around to the front of the arena. Just as Liam had hoped, there was a food truck there. They got in the long line, but soon they all had sandwiches and sodas and they were able to find a few squares of pavement near the side of the arena to sit and eat their meal.

They talked about nothing in particular as they ate, though they skirted around the subject of their impending performances, all three of them super nervous and totally aware this could be the end of their _X-Factor_ experience.

They sat outside chatting until staff members were sent to round the contestants up and gather them on the stage. They were told that some of them would perform their final boot camp song today, the rest the next day, then final cuts would be the day after that.

"They're going to make us wait two days?" Harry whispered, horrified, to Louis.

"Sadists," Louis whispered back.

Simon went on to explain that the boys and the groups would sing that afternoon, then the girls and the over-25s the next day. They were directed to sit in the chairs on the floor of the arena to await their turn, so Louis, Harry, and Liam found seats together. As others were called to the stage, the three boys whispered their critiques.

Liam was called to the stage first, and Louis and Harry both cheered loudly when he was done. After Louis sang a few people later, Liam and Harry heaped praise on him when he returned to his seat. Harry was called a few people after that, and Louis walked him up to the center of the stage, wishing him a quiet, "Good luck," before leaving him to sing.

Harry sang his song beautifully, Louis thought. He also thought he might be a little besotted, but he was still trying to focus on _X-Factor_ and not any feelings he might have for Harry. When Harry was done and the audience was applauding, Louis returned to the stage to retrieve him. "You did great," he told him sincerely.

Though Liam decided go back to his hotel room to catch some sleep, Louis and Harry stayed to listen to every last contestant perform. When the last person had sung for the day, they found their mothers to make the walk back to the hotel.

Their mums, as it turned out, had gotten to stand backstage and listen to the boys perform. They were so proud of their offspring that they insisted upon a big dinner out. Anne had done some research on her phone and found a nice restaurant not far from the hotel. Louis and Harry changed into the nicest clothes that they'd brought with them and escorted their mothers to the restaurant.

Over steak and chips, they celebrated the boys' success, telling them that even if they were cut from the competition, they were so proud, making both Louis and Harry blush profusely.

When they'd all had decadent chocolate desserts, they headed back to the hotel.

"So, boys, you have a day off tomorrow, right?" Anne asked as she guided Harry slightly ahead of where Jay and Louis walked side by side.

"Simon Cowell is an arse for making us wait so long," Louis commented, earning himself a punch on the shoulder from his mum.

"Language, Boobear!" she scolded.

"Boobear?" Harry repeated, clearly very, very amused.

Louis sighed heavily. "It's a nickname from when I was a kid. Mum!" he chided her for causing him such embarrassment.

"Interesting," was all Harry said. 

Louis was sure this could come back to haunt him somewhere down the line, but he tried to shake it off, saying, "Anyway…. Yes, we have a day off tomorrow."

"Jay and I were thinking it would be fun to do a little sightseeing," Anne went on, picking up the earlier thread.

Louis had an instant reaction to her last word, and he hesitantly asked, "What about…?" He found he was unable to finish his thought without risking sounding crass.

"…the fact that I have no sight to see with?" Harry apparently had no problem with crass.

Anne chastised him for it. "Harry!"

"It's true, mum," he defended his choice of words. "That is what you were getting at, right, Louis?"

"Yeah," Louis confirmed weakly.

"See, mum?"

"Cheeky!" Anne declared. Then she went on, "We had plenty of time today to do some research. As it turns out, St. Paul's Cathedral is very visually-impaired friendly."

"Visually-impaired friendly," Harry repeated, pitching his voice really low. That earned him his own motherly punch in the arm. "Ow. Sorry. What do they have on offer?"

"Apparently, they actually encourage touching of many of the statues and carvings in the building, with some exceptions. And I took the liberty of arranging what they call a Touch Tour for us in the early part of the afternoon, just in case the idea was appealing. They were kind enough to say yes even though it was short notice. What do you think?"

Harry smiled widely. "Sounds cool, Mum. Thanks for looking all that up."

"My pleasure."

"How's it sound to you, Louis?" Harry asked.

"Sounds super," Louis answered. "Mum?"

"I helped make the plan," Jay told him. "I'm in."

"So, it's a plan," Anne concluded happily. "When we get back to the hotel, then, you boys need to get some sleep. It's been a long three days, and tomorrow will be no fun if you're exhausted."

Under normal circumstances, Louis would have bristled at the suggestion that he needed to be in bed at a decent hour, but he really was so very tired, so he simply said, "I'm down with that."

Harry concurred. "Me, too."

Other than Anne giving occasional soft directions to Harry, the quartet was quiet the rest of the way to the hotel, simply enjoying the warm, rain-free July night.

When they arrived back at the hotel, it was a quick trip up to the third floor where the Tomlinsons and Styleses agreed to meet up for a late breakfast the next morning. Then they bid each other good night and sweet dreams.

* * *

Breakfast was a quick affair in the morning, then Louis, Harry, and their mothers made their way to St. Paul's. Anne suggested just getting a taxi, but Harry said he wanted to try the Tube, if Louis, Jay, and his mum didn't mind, which they didn't. Louis suspected that Anne's suggestion was born of a desire to make things easier for Harry, and he admired that Harry didn't go for it.

The little group made their way to the closest Underground station--Louis guiding Harry at Harry's request--and, although it was a long ride requiring a change in trains, it appeared to be an easy enough journey to make.

Although, obviously, they had been around people for the entirety of the _X-Factor_ rounds, that suddenly felt a little like being in a bubble now they were out in public. Harry's presence at boot camp had become a non-issue pretty quickly. Everyone was so busy trying to get themselves further in the competition, they didn't have much time to pay attention to the blind person in their midst. Out in public, though, on the Underground and as they made their way to the cathedral, Harry was like an attraction all unto himself, especially since he used his cane for extra assurance.

Everybody stared at Harry, but, of course, Harry couldn't see them and was oblivious. Louis, however, could see them, and he wanted them all to stop. The minute they stepped on the first train a lady old enough to be Louis' grandmother got up out of the seat reserved for the disabled and literally tried to push Harry into it. Harry protested and told her he was fine standing. She looked like she was going to argue, but Louis fixed her with a look and she stopped. Anne shot him a look of gratitude for that one. 

The second train was smoother, and by just before one they entered the cathedral with plenty of time in front of them to explore. Louis and Harry waited just inside the entrance while Anne and Jay went to see what they needed to do for their tour. There were some brochures on a rack near the boys, and Louis plucked one out and read a little of it to Harry to pass the time.

Anne and Jay returned with a woman who introduced herself as Isabelle. She shook both Harry's and Louis' hands and explained, "We'll walk around the cathedral, starting in the Crypt, then making our way up to the Whispering Gallery. I'll tell you as much about the cathedral as I can as we go. Sound good?"

The four of them nodded enthusiastically.

"Harry, you'll be allowed to touch almost everything I point out, and I'll make sure you don't miss anything important, okay?"

Harry offered her a smile of gratitude and told her, "Okay. Thanks."

"Any questions?" Isabelle inquired. When they all indicated that they did not, she said, "All right, then, let's get started."

Louis asked Harry, "Do you want your mum to guide you during the tour?"

"She can take over if you don't want to do it." Harry's voice was sad as he went to remove his hand from Louis' elbow.

Louis brought his other hand up to hold Harry's in place. "No, I want to."

Harry's face broke out into a huge grin, and he squeezed Louis' elbow tightly. "You're doing a great job. But wait…." He did let go of Louis' arm, then, but only long enough to make a show of folding up his cane and putting it in his back pocket before reclaiming a hold on Louis. "There, all set."

Louis smiled and followed Isabelle down the corridor toward their first destination, filled with joy that Harry trusted him enough to guide him without the added security of his cane.

If Louis was honest, he didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the things Isabelle was telling them. He was completely and utterly preoccupied with watching Harry. In contrast, Harry paid rapt attention to the things Isabelle was telling them, even asking relevant follow-up questions.

The first part of the building they spent time in was the Crypt, where there were many caskets and statues. When Harry was allowed to touch something per Isabelle's directions, he really took his time, letting go of Louis and using both hands to feel every nook and cranny. Louis certainly didn't notice how cute it was that when he was concentrating on what he was feeling, Harry scrunched his nose and stuck his tongue out just a little. 

Isabelle was able to share lots of information about the materials objects were made from and what their significance was, and she occasionally reached out to take Harry's hand to guide him to a specific part of an object she wanted him to take note of.

Louis found himself starting to do that, too. If he noticed something in particular he thought Harry should feel, he would take hold of Harry's hand--ignoring how soft and warm it was--and show him what he'd noticed. Louis loved being able to give this to Harry--access to something he might not otherwise have. Whether it was Isabelle or Louis helping him, Harry was unfailingly polite, offering constant thank yous.

Down in the Crypt, Isabelle showed them the tomb of the Duke of Wellington, which was a simple casket made of granite, she explained. Along the bottom were some figures carved into the stone. Louis pointed to them and asked Isabelle if they were okay to touch.

"Go for it," she allowed with a smile.

Louis took Harry's free hand and placed it on the statue poised on the front right corner of the casket. "Look," Louis commanded.

Harry grinned at the order and pulled his other hand from Louis' elbow so he could fully explore the statue. Louis' heart clenched watching Harry--a little sad that Harry couldn't see, but enthralled by how pretty he was when he was concentrating so intently on something. "It's a lion," Harry concluded after he was done with his examination.

"It is. How did you know? Don't tell me you've pet one at the zoo," Louis joked.

Harry giggled. "No. But when I was in school, they got me all these animal figurines that were pretty detailed. I memorised them all."

"Smartypants."

Louis took Harry around the whole casket, showing him the lion statues in each corner and the carvings on each side. When they were ready to move on to the next part of the exhibit, Harry took Louis' elbow once more with a soft, "Thank you for showing that to me."

"My pleasure."

Anne and Jay trailed behind Isabelle, Harry, and Louis, chatting as they walked from tomb to chapel to statue. Louis was thrilled that Anne didn't seem at all worried about him taking charge of helping Harry.

When they were done in the Crypt, they moved back up to the cathedral floor and worked their way up the north aisle, then down the south aisle. There were many engravings to trace on the floor, and Louis quickly got in the habit of blocking Harry from behind when he would crouch down to examine something, to keep people from running into him. People were generally pretty understanding; Louis only very occasionally caught someone shaking their head disapprovingly or huffing impatiently when Harry was momentarily in their way.

Finally, they made their way to the dome. They decided to only walk the 257 steps up to the Whispering Gallery. It took a little time to walk up the steps, Harry in between Isabelle and Louis, Anne and Jay directly behind, but once they were up there, Isabelle pointed out some of the highlights of the structure, and Louis and Harry whispered to each other from across the dome, giggling the entire time.

It was nearing time for the cathedral to close when they made their way back to the entrance. They thanked Isabelle profusely for her time before heading out onto the street.

They decided that even though it was just five o'clock, all the walking had made them hungry, so they located a pub nearby at which to have an early dinner.

Over dinner, they discussed what they wanted to do when they were done eating. 

"Louis should choose," Harry declared. "We went to the cathedral since it was something that would work for me. It's his turn."

"Well, it's not like I minded," Louis countered. "I had fun. It was interesting."

"I still think you should choose," Harry insisted. "Mum, make him choose."

Anne grinned. "Harry's right, Louis. This should be your pick since you were such a good sport about doing something Harry Friendly." Louis got the impression that this was a phrase that was used a lot in the Styles household. He thought that was fair. Everything should be Harry Friendly.

"Well, when we've been down to London before, I've only ever gotten to speed walk through Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. It would be nice to walk through a little slower," Louis suggested.

"I agree," Jay said. "Good idea, Boo."

"I think so, too," Anne put in. "I know I could certainly use a walk after all this food. Besides, I haven't walked down there in ages. What do you think, H?"

Harry nodded. "Sounds fine to me."

Once they'd paid for their meal, they got back on the Underground and headed to Charing Cross station. Once there, they leisurely made their way to Trafalgar Square and the statue of Lord Nelson. Louis joked there that he was not going to scale the tall statue with him so Harry could check out what it looked like. Harry jokingly hit him.

They wended their way through the crowd at Trafalgar and then slowly walked up a main thoroughfare toward Piccadilly Circus. It wasn't dark yet, but all the signs were lit up, giving the area a garish air despite the hour. As they strolled, they gave in to the temptation of a handful of stores, picking up a few souvenirs to commemorate their time in London.

They found one store which had an entire section of beanies for sale. When Harry told Louis he could use a new beanie, Louis tirelessly described each beanie on offer, and handed the best looking ones to Harry so he could feel them. Harry finally settled on a soft green beanie that Louis swore matched his eyes, while Louis picked the same exact beanie in blue to match his own eyes.

Finally, after having gotten their fill of sightseeing for the moment, they were all tired enough to agree to call it a day and jump back on the Underground to head back to Wembley. They completed a hat trick of easy journeys for the day.

When they arrived back at the hotel, the mums announced they needed some drinks after walking around all day, while the boys were more inclined to collapse, and they retired to Harry's room. Once there, they lay side by side on the double bed, exhausted.

"So, what do you think's going to happen tomorrow?" Harry asked, his voice languid and sleepy.

Louis sighed. "We're going to get through to Judges' Houses and then to the live shows. We're going to do so, so well that we end up in the final two together. I, of course, will be the ultimate winner--"

"Hey!" Harry protested.

"But it will be a close vote," Louis went on, undeterred. "We will both sell millions of records, because while Simon will, of course, sign me, some other fabulous record company will sign you. There will be tours and videos, the whole lot. And a shit ton of money to boot."

"Well, I think I'm going to win--I do, after all, have the best story--but the rest of that sounds amazing."

"It does, doesn't it?"

The boys fell silent for a moment, then Harry asked a follow-up question. "What will you do if you don't make it through?"

"I dunno," Louis responded. "I guess I'll go to uni. I've thought about becoming a drama teacher."

"You told me that," Harry remembered.

"You're right. I did. I had the best time being in drama productions when I was in school. I think it would be fun to help other kids have that kind of experience, you know?"

"Sounds cool."

"What about you? What are you going to do if you're cut?"

"I'm not sure," Harry told him. "I guess I'd go to college eventually, figure out something to study."

Louis paused to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say next. After a few moments, he pulled in a deep breath and dove right in. "I meant what I said the other day."

"What was that?"

"That running into you was the best thing I've done all summer."

He looked over at Harry in time to see a blush colour Harry's cheeks.

"It's been great having someone to go through this with," he explained himself further.

"It has been," Harry agreed.

"Do you think…?" He cut himself off and hauled in another deep breath before trying again. "Do you think we can still be friends after? No matter what happens tomorrow?"

Harry sidled his hand over until it was touching Louis'. "Yes. I would like that. I would like that very much."

Louis sighed with relief even as he shivered from the touch of Harry's hand still on his own. "God, but I am exhausted."

"Word."

Louis let his eyes drift shut, and he focused on nothing but the change in Harry's breathing as Harry fell asleep right there next to him. He vaguely wondered if Harry could see in his dreams, then he was dreaming himself.

When their mothers came back from their drinks and found their boys already fast asleep on the bed in Harry's room, they smiled fondly at them. They looked so sweet and would be just fine where they were. There was nothing for it, they would just have to have a girls' night in the Tomlinsons' room. 

* * *

When he awoke to the sun shining brightly on his face, Louis was genuinely confused about where he was. He pretty quickly remembered that he was in a hotel because he was trying out for _The X-Factor_ , but the room he found himself in wasn't his, or he didn't think it was. It seemed off.

To his left, there was soft snoring, and Louis looked over, expecting his mum, but instead finding Harry. He couldn't help but smile at how sweet Harry looked while asleep. He appeared even younger than his sixteen years, with his chubby cheeks and curls splayed out all over the pillow.

Louis vaguely recalled wondering whether or not Harry could see in his dreams before he fell asleep the night before. Just in case he could, Louis was hesitant about waking him up, but he knew they had to get up and get their day started.

Sometime during the night, their mothers must have shown up because Louis distinctly remembered falling asleep uncovered, but now he and Harry were sharing a blanket. He withdrew his hand from under the blanket and gently touched Harry's upper arm. "Harry," he whispered. When he received no response, he shook Harry the tiniest bit. "Harry."

This time, Harry groaned a little, reached down to pull the blanket in tight to his chin, and turned over on his side so he was no longer facing Louis. Louis smiled and rested his hand on Harry's back. "Rise and shine, Harry. It's decision day."

"Mmm," Harry murmured. After another moment, he turned himself over so he was facing Louis again and opened his eyes. "Louis?"

Lost in Harry's beautiful, unseeing green eyes, it took Louis a moment to answer. "Yes."

"What time's it?"

Louis twisted his head to check the clock on the bedside table. "Yikes. It's about half eleven."

"Our mums let us sleep together," Harry noted with a grin.

"Apparently they trusted me with your virtue," Louis teased.

Harry chuckled.

"Hey, can I ask you a question or is it too soon after waking up for questions?"

Harry said, "Shoot."

Praying it wouldn't be read as inconsiderate, he asked, "Can you see when you dream?"

Harry shook his head. "Nope. I don't know what it's like to see, remember? My subconscious doesn't either. My dreams are just like my waking hours…I can hear, taste, smell, feel." Thankfully, he didn't sound offended at all.

"Cool," Louis said. "I was just wondering."

"Now you don't have to anymore." Harry smiled. "So, do you remember what time we need to be over to the arena?"

"Three, I think."

"Do you want the first shower?"

"You just want to nap some more," Louis teased.

"Busted." Closing his eyes again, Harry shamelessly curled himself up under the blanket, pulling it half off Louis in the process. "Help yourself to anything you need."

Louis grinned and slipped out of bed and into the washroom. He stripped, showered, and then redressed in the same clothes he'd slept in. He'd need to go back to his own room for clean clothes before they went down to eat.

When he emerged from the steamy washroom, he walked back to the bed and sat down so he was facing the headboard. Harry, he noticed, had fallen right back to sleep. He smiled and risked reaching out to move a curl that had fallen across Harry's eyes. When he pulled back, he said, "Harry. Harry, wake up."

"Mmm. Again?" Harry muttered sleepily.

"Shower's free. It's gone twelve o'clock."

Harry nodded and, with obvious reluctance, pulled himself into an upright position. "Okay." He ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up even more than his night's sleep had. Then he slid off the bed.

"I have to go get clean clothes from my room," Louis told him. "Meet you downstairs in, what, twenty minutes?"

"That sounds fine. I'm just going to throw my new beanie on and not mess with my hair."

"That's a super idea. I may do the same." Louis stood from the bed, too. "So, should I tell your mum it's safe to come back?"

"Sure. Thanks." Harry was already working on retrieving a clean outfit from his duffle bag. He had pulled out a green shirt and was rummaging through the bag for pants to match.

"See you downstairs," Louis said.

"Yep." Harry triumphantly pulled a pair of brown pants from his bag. "See you in just a few."

Louis left as Harry was still pulling things from his duffle. When he got to his own room, he found his and Harry's mum dressed and sitting side by side on the bed chatting away. They smiled when he let himself in.

"Well, good afternoon, sunshine," Jay said. "Did you sleep okay?"

Louis nodded.

"You boys looked so exhausted, we didn't have the heart to wake you up when we came up last night," Jay supplied.

"Thanks."

"Is Harry up, too?" Anne asked.

Louis nodded. "He was just getting ready to shower when I left to come back here and get clean clothes. I told him we could meet downstairs in twenty minutes."

"Excellent," Anne said, levering herself off the bed. "I'll just head back for clean clothes myself."

Louis began to dig through his bag and found some dark pants, a dark shirt, and a beige sweater. He was just about to rise to change in the washroom when he remembered he needed a beanie. The first one he found was red. That would have to be good enough.

He changed in a short amount of time, then sat through a pep talk from his mum. She wanted him to know that if he made it through to Judges' Houses, that would be amazing. She also wanted him to know that if he didn't make it through to Judges' Houses, he should still be proud of himself for making it this far. And she wanted him to know she loved him. He thanked her with a hug and a kiss, after which she made him promise that when he became rich and famous, he wouldn't forget his family.

At lunch, the boys and their mums kept the conversation light. They were all too nervous to discuss what could happen in just a few hours.

When they were done eating, they headed back over to the arena for the last time. Once there, the mums told the boys they would be hanging out backstage when the final cuts were made, ready to either celebrate or commiserate. They hugged the boys, then Harry and Louis went backstage to await their turn on the stage.

Simon and the other judges made them wait for over two hours before they started--they were apparently having some sort of difference of opinion on who to keep and who to ditch--but then they finally called the girls to the stage first for final cuts. The groups followed, then it was the boys' turn.

Harry and Louis joined the other boys who filed from the back of the arena out into the hall and through the back to get on the stage and nervously waited for Simon to call names. He would only be calling the names of the boys who made it. If they didn't hear their names called, they were done.

Simon did not make them wait long to get started. He said name after name, but neither Louis' nor Harry's name was one of them. Louis' heart sank the longer it went on, fearing the worst.

Simon's voice dipped low when he said, "The final contestant that's made it through is…Tom Richards."

Louis was still busy processing that it was over when Simon went on to say, "That's it, guys. Really, really sorry."

There were tears in Louis' eyes when he looked over at Harry. Harry was likewise fighting tears. Louis couldn't help but pull Harry into a hug right there on stage, rubbing his back and whispering, "Sorry," in his ear.

After a long moment, they separated and Louis asked, "You okay?"

Harry was shaking a little, all over, but he nodded. "You?"

"I'll get there," Louis replied. "Shall we head backstage and see if we can find our mothers?"

"Sure." Harry resituated his cane and took Louis' elbow again, then allowed Louis to guide him down the stairs into the backstage area.

Before they could do anything else, they had to field questions from _X-Factor_ staff members about how it felt to be cut. Louis just wanted to tell them it fucking sucked, but he restrained himself, simply saying he was gutted to have it all end here. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry talking to another staff member, wiping his tears away with his beanie. When Louis was done, he hovered nearby where Harry was still being interviewed. It was the last time they would be able to feature "the blind kid who made boot camp."

When Harry was done, he and Louis made their way to the room where friends and family had been allowed to watch the eliminations.

Harry's mum immediately took him into her arms, and it broke Louis' heart to hear the sobs Harry emitted as soon as his mother touched him. Next thing he knew, he was the one crying when his own mother pulled him to her.

She let him cry for a minute, then she pushed him away until he was an arm's length away. Gripping his upper arms tightly, she said, "You were amazing. This whole time, you were just incredible. This is their loss."

Louis managed a nod and a small smile.

"It's been a great experience. You'll be seen on television, and who knows what might come of that."

Louis wasn't sure anything would really come of that, since he'd failed, but he acknowledged the possibility with a modest shrug and a nod.

"And don't forget your friend over there." She didn't let go of Louis' arm, but she bent her elbow slightly and pointed it toward where Harry stood talking to Anne. "That doesn't end just because this did."

Louis nodded one more time, and Jay pulled him in for one more tight hug. She was right; he was pretty sure he had Harry, no matter what. He needed to focus on that.

When she let him go this time, she asked, "Do you think you could eat?"

Louis shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, I hope so. Anne and I already decided we wanted to take you and Harry out to celebrate. It's late now, and you boys need to eat."

Louis smirked. "Are we going to celebrate being booted?"

Jay grinned. "No. We're going to celebrate how far you both got and how proud we are of both of you."

"Okay. That sounds good," Louis conceded.

Harry and Anne were still talking, her forehead on his, his eyes closed as he listened intently to whatever she was saying. So Jay and Louis took seats to chat and wait for them to finish so they could ditch the arena and go find some food.

Anne was just leading Harry over to where Jay and Louis were seated when an _X-Factor_ staff member walked into the room and made an announcement. "If you're one of the boys or girls who was just cut, we need you backstage, please."

Harry visibly slumped. "What now? They need more footage of us crying?"

"I can't even imagine," Louis said, completely baffled.

"Why don't you boys go check it out?" Anne suggested, already handing Harry over to Louis. "We'll be waiting right here when you're done."

"Okay," Louis and Harry answered simultaneously.

"What do you think it really is?" Harry asked Louis as they moved through the corridor to head back to the backstage area where they'd been summoned.

"I can't even begin to guess. Maybe you're right, and they do need more footage of us before we leave for good. Maybe there's paperwork. Who knows?"

When they got backstage, all the boys and girls who'd been cut were huddled in a group. As they joined the huddle, Louis was glad to see that he and Harry were not the only ones with red-rimmed eyes. It had been a tough day for them all.

It wasn't too long before the same staff member who'd asked them all to come backstage again told them some of them were wanted back on stage. He began with a few girls' names he didn't recognize, but then he went on, "Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles." A couple more girls' names were called, but Louis had stopped paying attention. His heart was too busy pounding as his brain tried to figure out just what was going on.

"Out to the stage with all of you," the staff member commanded.

The nine people whose names had been called dutifully made their way onto the stage. The boys took stage left, while the girls took stage right.

Louis thought he'd been nervous during the eliminations. This moment was definitely rivaling that. He was glad he was not up there on his own, and he was especially happy Harry's name had been called, too. Good or bad, at least they would have each other to go through it with, just as they had the entire _X-Factor_ experience. He thought it was fortuitous that Liam, Zayn, and Niall were there, too, since he and Harry had had the opportunity to get to know each of them in a small way during the competition.

Nicole Scherzinger spoke for the judges, greeting the anxiety-ridden groups assembled on stage. "Hello. Thank you so much for coming back. I know, judging from some of your faces, that this is really hard. We've thought long and hard about it, and we've thought of each of you as individuals, and we just feel that you're too talented to let go of. We think it would be a great idea to have two separate groups."

Simon spoke up next. "We've decided to put you both through to the Judges' Houses."

Cheers erupted on stage. The girls shared a group hug and the boys just hugged in various combinations, though Harry and Louis' hug was extra-long.

"Guys!" Simon broke into their celebration. The girls and the boys immediately formed two lines, arms draped over each other, to listen to what Simon had to say."Guys, girls, this is a lifeline. You have got to work ten, twelve, fourteen hours a day, every single day, and take this opportunity. You've got a real shot here, guys." He winked at them as an extra show of support.

Both of the newly formed groups shouted thank yous to the judges, then they were herded off stage. The girls were taken to one side of the large backstage area to be interviewed and the boys to the other.

"So, boys," the interviewer, a small blonde woman who had introduced herself as "Caryn with a 'c'" began. "How does it feel to have been put together as a band?"

"It's amazing," Liam fielded this first question with a huge grin. "I think we're lucky to be getting this second chance."

"Have any of you ever performed with a band before?"

Louis raised his hand. "I have. I was in a band called The Rogue back at home."

"So, this won't be new to you?" Caryn presumed. 

Louis shook his head. "Not really. Should be fun!"

With a smile, Caryn pressed on. "How about the rest of you? Any band experience?"

Harry cleared his throat. "I have some, too."

"You have, Harry?" the interviewer checked.

Harry nodded. "I was in a band with a couple guys from school. We were called White Eskimo."

"So, you have a little experience being in a group, too."

Harry shrugged. "A little. Not on this kind of scale, though."

"How do you think your being blind will affect the band, Harry? Do you think it will make it difficult?"

Louis saw Harry flinch a little at the question, clearly uncomfortable being put on the spot in such a way, so Louis decided to take care of it. "Harry is amazing and has an amazing voice, and we may need to make adjustments, but I think the other lads will agree with me that we're lucky to have him."

Louis was relieved when Zayn, Liam, and Niall all made approving noises without hesitation, and Harry shot a grateful smile in Louis' direction.

The interviewer wisely decided to move on to another topic. "So, what's next? You guys have never sung together before, yet you have to shortly go to Judges' Houses and perform as a group."

"I'm sure we'll find a way to spend a lot of time practising and getting ready," Niall jumped in. "I know I'm super excited about getting to know these guys and performing with them."

"I'm sure that goes for all of you," she inferred.

"Absolutely," the other four chorused.

"Well, we wish you lots of luck at Judges' Houses," the interviewer concluded, gesturing to the cameraman that they were done. "Thanks, boys." She did not wait for them to respond before she was off in search of her next catch.

Left alone, the boys all breathed sighs of relief. Then they retreated back to where their family and friends were waiting on pins and needles for news.

Someone standing outside the room would have been able to tell the moment that each boy told his loved one that they were going through to Judges' Houses with four other boys in a group. A whoop of joy would ring out at that moment. Five little sections of cheer.

Over in Harry's and Louis' adjoining sections, Anne and Jay were jubilant and so excited for their sons.

"That's amazing," Jay told them. "What exactly did the judges say?"

"That we were all too talented to let go," Louis related.

"I'm glad they saw sense," Anne said, grinning. She rubbed Harry's upper arm. "I'm sure you will all make a terrific group."

"Thanks, Mum. But why don't we wait and see how it works out before getting too enthusiastic?" Harry said quietly.

It was as if a cloud crossed over Anne's face. "What's wrong, baby?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing's wrong."

Before he could second-guess his decision to tell, Louis explained, "We just talked to an interviewer out there who implied that Harry's being blind might have a negative impact on the group. Which is ridiculous."

"It's not entirely ridiculous," Harry begged to differ.

"It is," Anne insisted. "You need to put that out of your head right now. That interviewer doesn't know you. Did you tell them you'd been in a group before?"

"I did."

"That worked out great, and so will this," Anne said firmly.

"It will," Louis threw his opinion in. "Okay, Harry?"

Harry sighed, giving in. "Okay."

At that moment, a staff member came in and told them they had thirty minutes to clear out.

Liam called all the boys together to make a plan. "We need to have a meeting about how we're going to do this moving forward."

"First thing I need is some sleep," Zayn said, yawning.

"Me, too," Niall seconded.

"I think we could all use some rest. What do you say we meet up tomorrow before we all head back home?" Liam suggested.

"Sounds good," Louis agreed, and the other three boys murmured their agreement. "Where?"

"I found a little coffee shop called 'Fresh Ground' just down the road from here, right by the hotel I think we're all at. Will that work?"

"Sure," Niall and Zayn said simultaneously.

"Harry? Louis?" Liam checked. "You guys in?"

They both nodded.

"Then let's get some rest and meet there around, what? Ten?"

"Ten it is," Louis said.

"Then let's go get some sleep," Liam closed the brief consultation.

Harry and Louis collected their things--and their mothers--and headed out into the night.

* * *

Neither Louis nor, as he found out the next morning, Harry got much sleep that night, too keyed up from the events of the previous evening. But they had agreed to meet in the lobby a little before ten to walk over to the coffee shop together.

Louis got there first and sat in a big wingback chair to wait, eyes firmly fixed on the lifts so he would spot Harry the minute he arrived. He did not have to wait long, as Harry exited a lift less than five minutes after Louis had come down. Louis hopped up to greet his friend.

"Harry! Morning." He skidded to a halt at Harry's side.

Harry smiled softly. "Good morning, Louis. I'm not late, am I?"

"Nope."

"Good. It took me a long time to fall asleep last night, so it was tough getting up this morning."

"I know, right? Took me ages to fall asleep, too," Louis admitted. "So, ready to head off to meet the others?"

Harry nodded. As if it was now an automatic movement, he held out his hand, clearly reaching for Louis' elbow. Louis was more than happy to oblige, then they were on their way.

At the door, they asked one of the bellmen if he knew in which direction they should walk, and they were told to go left, and the shop was a couple of short blocks away. The doorman was exactly right, and they arrived at the store just a couple minutes after ten.

Niall and Liam were already there and had secured a corner table for them. Louis guided Harry to the table and a chair.

As Louis and Harry seated themselves--Harry folding his cane and setting it on the table--Liam greeted them warmly. "Good morning, fellas."

Niall added a cheery, "Good morning."

Louis and Harry returned the greeting.

"Zayn not here yet?" Louis asked, eyes focusing for a moment on the empty seat at the table.

Liam shook his head. "Nope."

"Probably sleeping in," Niall predicted. "I know I had a rough time getting up this morning."

"Yeah, me, too," Harry commiserated.

Liam and Niall already had drinks in front of them, so Louis offered to get something for him and Harry. For a second, Louis thought Harry was going to protest, but then he seemed to relent and requested a tea with milk and sugar.

While he was up getting their drinks, Louis kept an eye on the table, not even pretending to himself that it was for any other reason than making sure Harry was okay with the two other boys. He seemed to be fine, though. Niall appeared to be telling a story that was making Harry smile.

Zayn had still not arrived by the time Louis made it back to the table with his and Harry's tea. The four of them sipped at their drinks and traded the stories of their initial auditions with each other. Liam explained that he'd tried out for _X-Factor_ before, and this would be his second trip to Judges' Houses. The others expressed happiness that they would have someone with experience there with them.

By ten-thirty, Zayn had still not arrived.

"Maybe he isn't taking this seriously," Liam said.

"Like with the dancing," Louis mused. "He didn't want to do that, either."

"D'you think he doesn't want to be in the band?" Niall wondered aloud.

"What should we do?" Louis sipped at his tea. "Does anyone have his mobile number?"

All the other boys shook their heads. Louis absently realised he also didn't have Harry's mobile phone number, either. He didn't even know if Harry had a mobile.

"We need to all be serious about this," Liam insisted. "If we aren't all serious, we won't make it through Judges' Houses."

"It isn't fair for him to risk all our chances," Niall proclaimed. "Maybe we should cut him loose, even if he does show up."

"That seems harsh," Louis said. "This could be very innocent. We're all exhausted. Maybe he just overslept."

"Yeah, we're all exhausted, but we're here," Liam pointed out logically.

"Maybe we should take a vote," Niall said.

For the first time during the conversation, Harry quietly spoke up. "Maybe we should wait a little longer and see if he shows up. Like Louis said, there could be a very good explanation for why he's late."

The other boys were surprised enough that Harry had entered an opinion into the proceedings that they missed the bell ringing over the shop's front door and Zayn rushing through and over to the table.

Suddenly, he was there, tripping over an apology. "Guys, I'm so, so, so sorry. My phone battery died, and so my alarm didn't go off. I forgot to tell my mum we were meeting, so she didn't try to wake me."

All of the boys smiled. Louis said, "We thought it was something like that. Sit down!" He patted the empty chair next to him, and Zayn dropped gratefully into it.

"Now we can get down to figuring out how this is going to work," Liam proposed.

"Judges' Houses is just over a month away, right?" Niall checked.

"Right," Liam concurred. "So, between now and then I think we have to get together to see if we can work as a group."

"Do you think they'll expect us to do more than sing?" Zayn asked.

"What do you mean?" Louis probed for more information.

"Do you think they'll expect us to dance, too? Like, have choreography?" Zayn clarified his thought.

Louis and Harry were sitting close enough to each other that Louis felt Harry instantly tense at Zayn's question.

Harry audibly swallowed, then echoed Zayn's concern. "They wouldn't do that, would they? Ask us to dance again?"

Louis reached a hand over and rested it on Harry's forearm. "I'm sure they won't. I've never seen them do that on the show before."

Harry didn't seem all that mollified by Louis' words, and then Liam said, "That doesn't mean they won't do it this time, though. We might want to be prepared, just in case. Boy bands often do have choreography."

Zayn just sighed. "I guess." He didn't seem happy, but sounded resigned to having to deal with the whole dancing thing some more.

Harry, on the other hand, blanched so white that Louis was concerned he was going to pass out. "Harry, are you okay?"

Harry didn't say anything right away. It sounded like he was forcibly trying to breathe deeply to stay calm.

"Harry?" Louis tried again. Now the others were looking at him, too, trying to gauge if he was all right or not.

"Maybe…," Harry started, then stopped himself. After a moment, he tried again. "Maybe I should just stop right now."

"Stop what?" Louis asked, confused.

"Stop thinking I can be a part of this." He pulled his arm out from where it was still under Louis' arm, distancing himself the only way he physically could at that moment.

"What?" Louis' voice jumped an octave of its own accord. "What are you talking about, Harry?"

Harry's bottom lip trembled before he caught it in his teeth. "I'm just not sure this can work."

"What do you mean when you say 'this?'" Louis worked hard to keep his tone even so as not to scare Harry off from talking about whatever it was that was suddenly bothering him.

"Me being in this band," Harry responded, his voice almost a whisper at this point.

"Why?" Louis whispered back. Absently, he was aware of the other three boys practically holding their breath during this exchange, but almost all of his attention was focused on Harry and the unhappy turn this meeting was taking.

Harry's voice became immeasurably sad when he answered, voice cracking, "Because I'm blind, Louis."

This was the first time Louis had heard Harry putting such a negative slant on his condition, and it broke his heart. And he wasn't going to allow it. "Bullshit," he said.

Confusion crept onto Harry's face. "I'm sorry. What?"

"That isn't a good reason for not trying this."

"But it is," Harry countered.

"We can work out the choreography thing." Louis assured him, "I promise. Just like we did at boot camp."

Harry shook his head. "It isn't just about the dancing."

"Then what is it?"

"It's the fact that if I'm someplace new, I can't get around without help. It's that if it's not in Braille, I need it read to me. It's that people can be wildly uncomfortable around me. Is anyone really going to want to get into a boy band with a blind guy in it? I don't want to hold you guys back." Harry said all of this barely pausing for breath. When he was done, he gulped in air, still openly trying to keep himself relatively calm.

Louis reached back out to touch Harry's hand, now resting on his thigh. He was opening his mouth to address the concerns Harry had just raised when Liam spoke up. "We're not going to let you quit, Harry, so you might as well forget it."

"But--" Harry began instantly to protest, but was cut off by Zayn telling him, "You wouldn't let me quit, remember?"

"That was a one-time problem," Harry stated. He waved his hand in front of his eyes. "This is not. This is forever."

"We can work it out," Niall said confidently.

"Exactly," Liam agreed. "We'll just need to figure out a system."

Louis felt like his heart was going to burst with joy that the others were being so wonderful about this, that they obviously wanted Harry to stay as much as Louis himself did.

Harry, though, was just as obviously not quite yet convinced. "I just don't think it's that simple."

"So you need some help from time to time. It's really not a big deal." Louis worked hard to try to sound reassuring. "There are four of us. You won't exactly be lacking for someone to help you, if you need it."

"I appreciate that," Harry said, though Louis could see Harry bristle a little. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to need help with little things like reading a menu or getting around someplace new. He was sure Harry resented it, while at the same time, he had to accept it for what it was.

Harry went on, "What about the other part? Do you really think people are going to get behind a band with a blind guy in it? What if I cost us votes? I really don't want to mess things up for you guys."

"Screw 'em if they don't want to vote for us because you're blind," Louis declared. "I'd wager there will be more people who will than won't."

"Besides which--bottom line--we want you with us," Liam said.

"Yeah," Zayn and Niall chimed in together.

"So, are we done with you trying to quit?" Louis asked, holding his breath.

It took a moment, but Harry finally nodded. "Yes. I'm in."

All four of the other boys spontaneously got out of their seats and formed a group hug around Harry. Harry stiffened in surprise at the sudden onslaught, but quickly relaxed into the hug. Louis even saw him smile, and that made Louis smile.

When they broke the embrace and went back to their own seats, Louis announced, "This is the last time we're having this kind of conversation, yeah, Harry? We're not going to discuss you thinking about quitting ever again. You being blind doesn't matter to any of us. Okay?"

Harry nodded, biting his bottom lip in a way Louis couldn't think of in any other way except adorable. "Okay. Thanks."

"My coffee's cold," Niall whined. It made every one of them giggle.

"I'll get us all fresh drinks, then we can get back to what we are supposed to be discussing, yeah?" Liam said.

They all immediately began calling out their orders. Liam held up a finger, then ran to the counter to ask a barista for a pen. When he got back, he pulled a napkin from the table and made everyone repeat their orders one at a time, carefully writing them down. Once he had them all, he went to place and wait for their order. He delivered the drinks as they were made, and in no time at all, they were ready to continue the meeting.

"Okay," Liam started. "We have just a few weeks until Judges' Houses, and in that time, we need to learn how to sound like a band."

They all took a moment to think about the best way to make that happen, each of them sipping absently at their new drinks.

All of a sudden, Harry cleared his throat. All eyes turned in his direction, and, nervously, he told them, "I have an idea."

"Great! What is it?" Liam asked.

"My stepdad has this bungalow behind his house," Harry explained. "I could ask if we could use it for a few days to practise and whatnot."

"Sounds wicked," Louis said enthusiastically.

"It's really cool," Harry told them, a little more confidence in his tone. "It has a pool and a huge garden."

"Do you think he'll say yes?" Zayn asked.

Harry nodded. "I can't think why he wouldn't. It doesn't get used a lot. I can call him right now to ask."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Niall put in.

Harry smiled and withdrew an iPhone from his back pocket. He seemed aware that they were all watching him, and he fumbled a little getting it on, but when he did, he pressed a corner of the screen and said, "Call Robin."

The phone call was not a long one. Harry accepted what sounded like congratulations before he explained that he and his new bandmates needed someplace to hang out together for a bit, and they were wondering whether the bungalow was free. The answer must have been positive because Harry grinned and thanked his stepdad profusely before hanging up. "We're on," he confirmed what the others had already guessed.

Louis thumped Harry gently on the back so as not to startle him too much. "That's super. Thanks, Harry. It's such a good idea."

Harry's smile grew wider.

"When do you think we could go?" Liam asked.

Harry shrugged. "Robin said we can go any time and stay for as long as we want. So, maybe we can meet up there in a few days, after we've had a chance to recover from boot camp?"

"What about if we get there next Wednesday?" Liam suggested. "That gives us four days at home to rest and relax a little. We could stay there for a week or so."

"Works for me," Niall said.

"Me, too," Zayn added.

"Me, three," Louis made it unanimous.

"Why don't you all put your numbers in my phone and my mum or I can text you the address?" Harry held out his mobile for Louis to take. "First and last names, please, or I will never find them."

Louis dutifully entered his number into Harry's contacts, then passed the phone around the table for the others to do the same. When the phone was returned to him, Harry slipped it in his pocket with a general, "Thanks."

The next little while was filled with idle chit-chat as the boys finished their drinks.

Niall had just finished telling a story about a camping trip he'd taken when he was fourteen when he looked down at his watch. "Shite! I promised I'd be back to the hotel by half-eleven, and it's gone that just now."

"I'm supposed to be back by noon," Liam said. "So I guess we should head back, yeah?"

The other boys nodded their assent, and almost as one unit, they got up and headed out of the shop, Louis taking charge of guiding Harry, walking slightly ahead of Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

They made it back to the hotel relatively quickly, and exchanged hugs and goodbyes in the lobby. Niall, Liam, and Zayn went their separate ways to find their people, and Louis and Harry headed up to where Anne was waiting for Harry to return so they could head home.

At the door to Harry's room, Louis found himself in the familiar position of being reluctant to bid Harry farewell.

Harry cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?"

"Do you want to come to mine on Wednesday and go to the bungalow with me?" Harry spoke tentatively, as if unsure whether or not his question would be well met.

Louis beamed. "That sounds great. You'll text me your address?"

Harry nodded.

They were both quiet for a moment before Louis began to say, "I--" at the same time as Harry began to say, "So--" They stopped and laughed for a few seconds.

When they recovered, Louis allowed, "You first."

"Okay. I just wanted to thank you for all of your help this week."

Louis shrugged and smiled. "It was my pleasure."

"The group thing's going to work, yeah? You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Don't spend your time at home worrying about it, okay?" Louis requested.

"I'll try," Harry promised in return. After a beat, he said, "I should probably get inside. I know my mum wants to get on the road before it gets too late."

Impulsively, Louis pulled Harry to him for a hug. After an initial moment of stiff surprise, Harry wrapped his arms around Louis and pulled him in tight.

When they pulled apart, Harry said, "See you Wednesday."

"Yeah. See you Wednesday." And as he turned from Harry to head back to his own room, he began to count the minutes, hours, and days until then.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bungalow: Part One (Of Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the continued hits, kudos, and comments. They make me very happy!!

Louis spent the days in between boot camp and his trip to Harry's sleeping and meeting up with all his friends. He wasn't allowed to tell them much about the results of _The X-Factor_ , but he could tell them about what a mind-blowing experience it was. They were all so excited for him and told him they couldn't wait to see the series when it aired.

On Tuesday night he packed a duffle with all the things he thought he might need for a week away so that he could pester his mother to leave first thing in the morning for Cheshire. He and Harry had been texting and phoning each other since they parted ways on Friday, and Harry had told Louis he could arrive any time on Wednesday. The other three boys were due to meet them at the bungalow at varying times during the afternoon.

Jay and Anne had decided to drop their sons at the bungalow, then make it a Girls' Day, so Jay was more than happy to be up early and make the slightly less than two hour drive from the Tomlinsons' to the Styleses'.

Harry answered the door when Louis rang the bell of the Styleses' modest house in Holmes Chapel. He was dressed very simply in jeans and a white t-shirt. His feet were bare. He looked fantastic, as far as Louis was concerned. "Hello?" Harry said questioningly, clearly not positive who it was calling.

"Harreh!" Louis greeted him brightly.

Harry's face broke into a huge smile, putting his dimples on full display. "Loueh!"

Harry held his arms out for a hug, and Louis happily supplied one, as his mother came up behind them.

"Hi, Harry," Jay greeted him as the boys pulled apart. "How're you doing, sweetheart?" She, too, offered him a hug.

"I'm good, thanks," Harry said when she let him go."Come on in. Mum's in the kitchen." He stepped back to let Louis and Jay inside, closing the door behind them. Then he led the way to the back of the house.

Louis noticed that Harry moved through the house with an extreme air of confidence. He used no cane, and just lightly brushed the furniture and walls as he walked, more, he guessed, to ground himself than as a guide. Harry must know his house backwards and forwards. Louis realised it was his first time seeing Harry in his element, in an environment he knew, as opposed to foreign places like a hotel or the arena where he needed help. Louis' heart kind of clenched at that realisation, and he had new reason to admire his friend.

"Mum, Louis and Jay are here," Harry announced as he entered the kitchen, hand coming to rest on a counter just inside the door.

Anne got up from where she sat and gave first Louis, then Jay, a hug. "Welcome. Harry's been really excited about you getting here. I'm glad you made it okay."

Louis glanced over at Harry in enough time to see him blush at his mother's words.

"Louis was excited, too," Jay commented, sending a smirk in Louis' direction.

Louis was thrilled Harry couldn't see him as he took a turn at blushing.

"We can leave for the bungalow in just a little bit," Anne told them. "I'm sure Jay could use a cup of tea first."

Jay nodded. "That would be great."

"Louis? Tea?" Anne asked.

"No, thanks. I'm good," he replied.

"Why don't you show Louis around the house, Harry?" Anne suggested.

"Sure," Harry agreed easily, turning in Louis' general direction. "Louis, this is the kitchen."

Louis laughed. "And a nice kitchen it is, too."

"Come on," Harry said, heading back through the kitchen door.

Louis followed.

"This is the living room," Harry explained as they entered the room where the family clearly spent the most time. It was a cosy room with a couch and an easy chair and a large television. The shelves were packed with books and videos. "And across the way is the dining room." Harry gestured to his right.

Louis looked over to see a small room with a large rectangular table and several large pieces of furniture he assumed held dishes and the like. His mum had some pieces like that at their house.

"Let's go upstairs," Harry said.

"Sure."

Louis followed Harry once again, this time up a narrow set of stairs at the top of which was a narrow hallway. Harry pointed out rooms as they went. "Washroom, Mum's room, Gemma's room." Louis got glimpses of beds and dressers as he peeked into each room. When they got to the last door on the left, Harry dramatically proclaimed, "And this is my room."

Louis' first thought, as he stood in the doorway, was that Harry was neater than any other teenage boy he'd ever met. And he said so. "Wow, your mum must be thrilled. Your room is so much tidier than mine. I'm not sure you can even see the floor in my room."

Harry smiled and pointed to his own eyes. "I can't be messy. If I was, I would never, ever find anything."

"Ah. That makes sense."

"Come on in," Harry invited, taking a seat on the double bed in the center of the room and patting the space next to him.

Louis was distracted by objects that looked like photo albums stacked on a desk which was nestled into the corner of the room. That seemed odd, given Harry's eyesight. "What are those?"

Harry smirked. "You're going to have to be a little more specific for the blind guy."

"Right. Sorry. These books on your desk."

"They're books," Harry deadpanned.

Louis walked up for a closer look. "They don't look like regular books."

"They're Braille," Harry explained, getting up and moving unerringly to where the books sat. 

As Harry opened the cover of the book on top, Louis could see tiny raised dots in the center of the first page. He'd heard of Braille before, of course, and he'd seen it on lifts and signs in public places, but he'd never seen an actual book before.

Harry ran his fingers lightly over the dots. "This one's _A Tale of Two Cities_ , which I was forced to read in school last term."

"Can I try?" Louis asked, tentatively holding out his hand.

"Give me your hand," Harry commanded, turning his own sideways. Louis put his hand in Harry's. Harry took Louis' index finger and placed it on the first set of dots. "Braille is made up of a series of dots. Each set of dots stands for a letter, a number, or a symbol. This is a capital 'a.'"

Louis could only vaguely distinguish between dots, even when he closed his eyes to focus just on what he was feeling with his finger. "You can really read this? I can barely make out that there are dots, much less any pattern to them."

"I've been reading it since I was about six, so I've had a lot of practise."

"Yet something else amazing about you," Louis complimented. He was rewarded with a pink blush that made quick work of creeping up Harry's cheeks.

When Harry turned to him with a soft, embarrassed smile on his face, Louis found himself struck with the urge to kiss him, to find out if Harry's lips were as soft as that smile. He'd felt this before, with other boys, but this time the feeling was almost overwhelming. Since he had no idea where Harry stood, however, he reluctantly pushed down the urge.

In shifting his gaze from Harry's face to quell his ardor, Louis' eyes spotted something else interesting sitting in the corner of the desk. Since his finger was still held in Harry's hand, he simply shifted it so he was holding Harry's hand, placing it on the new object of his interest. "What's this?"

Harry's smile turned fond as he moved his other hand over to completely explore the object Louis had directed him to. "It's a statue of my mum and me when I was a little kid. My mum has a friend who's a sculptor. When I was about ten, I got really sad that I couldn't see pictures. My mum is really big on putting pictures of me and Gemma up all over the house, and I couldn't see any of them. I don't even know, really, what a picture looks like. So my mum's friend took my mum's favourite picture of the two of us and made me a sculpture."

That was just about the sweetest thing Louis had ever heard. "I don't know that doing something like that would ever have occurred to me. That's awesome."

"It's one of my favourite things," Harry admitted.

Louis spun slowly in place, taking in the rest of the room. There wasn't much hanging on the walls, just a couple pictures of Harry and his mum and Harry and a girl who must have been his sister. He guessed those were up for his mother's benefit. The room really was incredibly neat. It was clear that everything had a specific place. In the corner opposite the desk was a set of shelves which held all sorts of little trinkets, and Louis wished they had the time for him to ask Harry about each one.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked into the silence Louis' scrutiny of Harry's room left in its wake.

"Sorry," Louis said. "I was just looking around."

"Not much to look at, but okay."

Louis was just about to go ahead and start asking about some of the trinkets on the shelves when Anne's voice came floating up the stairs. "Harry!"

Harry walked to the door and called back, "Yes?"

"Are you boys ready to head over to Robin's?"

Harry turned back toward Louis. "Are we ready?"

"Sure."

"We'll be right down, Mum!" Harry stepped back into his room and moved to the dresser, opening the top right drawer and pulling out a pair of white socks. Next, he moved to the closet and picked up a pair of Converse from the floor. Then he sat on his bed to put the socks and shoes on. Finally, he stood to retrieve a bag Louis hadn't noticed sitting on the floor next to the door. "Come on, Louis. The bungalow is way more interesting than my bedroom."

Louis doubted that, but all the same, he followed Harry back down the hall and down the stairs to where his mum and Harry's mum were standing by the door talking. It sounded like Anne was giving Jay directions.

"There you are, Harry," Anne said when he and Louis appeared. "Ready?"

"Ready." Harry hoisted his bag up on one shoulder and retrieved his cane from where it hung on a hook by the door.

Anne led the way out of the house, though she waited for Jay, Louis and, finally, Harry to pass over the threshold before she locked the door behind them.

"Mum?" Harry asked as they started down the path toward the cars. "Can Louis come in the car with us?"

"If he wants to, of course," Anne answered. "In fact, maybe it makes sense for us all to go in one car, since Jay is coming back here to hang with me anyhow."

"Don't know why we didn't think of that before," Jay commented, tapping herself playfully on the forehead.

"Because we needed our bright boys to point out the obvious," Anne returned with a laugh.

The car must have been in what was a usual spot, because Harry found it without needing assistance, and he threw his bag into the boot before climbing into the front passenger seat. Louis grabbed his own bag from his mum's car and put it in the boot next to Harry's before piling into the back seat with Jay.

The drive to the bungalow took about twenty minutes. During the drive, Anne gave Louis and Jay a rundown of some of the local history and pointed out some of the scenery they passed while Harry jumped in with mostly-mocking commentary on her commentary.

Finally they arrived at a large property with a sizeable house close to the road. Past that, Louis could see a smaller house--presumably the bungalow--set much further back. Anne pulled into the drive and they all got out of the car, Louis got both his and Harry's bags from the trunk.

Harry was opening up his cane when Louis arrived at his side to ask, "Do you want to take your bag or do you want me to carry it?"

"I can take it." He held out his free hand and Louis deposited the strap of Harry's bag into it. While he would not have minded carrying the bag, he completely admired Harry's determination to be as independent as he could be.

Louis' next question was, "Do you need my help, or do you want your mum?"

Harry grinned and hoisted the strap of his bag up and over his head before holding out his free-once-more hand out to Louis. "You'll do. But I'll only need you outside."

"Got it."

Anne and Jay were already on their way to the front door, and they hadn't even made it all the way when a man threw the door open wide. Louis assumed this was Robin, Anne's boyfriend.

The man greeted Anne with a kiss, confirming Louis' supposition. Then he called out, "Hey there, Harry. How's it going?"

"Great," Harry said, then he went on to make introductions. "This is Louis Tomlinson, my new bandmate, and his mum, Jay. Louis, Jay, this is my stepdad, Robin Twist."

Robin held his hand out first to Jay, then to Louis. "Nice to meet you both."

"You, too," Jay returned. "Thanks so much for offering your bungalow to the boys."

"It's my pleasure. Anything for Harry and his friends."

"It looks like a great place," Louis told him.

"I hope you guys will have fun," Robin said with a smile. "You ready to see it?"

"I know I am," Harry piped up, earning himself a playful punch courtesy of Robin. Louis was a little taken aback by Harry's willingness to make a joke about his blindness, but he guessed that not being surrounded by all the _X-Factor_ hoopla would bring out the true natures of all the boys.

Louis continued to guide Harry as they made their way around the side of the house. As they walked, Louis took in the lay of the land.

Behind the main house was a small swimming pool. When Robin saw Louis' gaze light upon the pool, he said, "Pool's heated. You boys can use it any time."

"Cool," Louis said.

To the side of the bungalow was a wide expanse of field. As they got closer to it, Louis saw the lines painted into the grass and the two goals he'd managed to completely miss at first glance. "Is that a football pitch?" he asked Robin.

"Sure is," Robin confirmed. "You play?"

Louis nodded vigorously. "I do."

"Feel free to kick a ball around while you're here, then, too. Harry knows where all the equipment is."

"Thanks," Louis said with a smile.

Soon they arrived at the bungalow's front door. Robin pulled out a key and opened it, then handed the key to Harry, who carefully pocketed it. Robin went in first, then Louis and Harry, and finally Anne and Jay.

Harry dropped Louis' elbow the second they were in the house. Louis assumed Harry probably knew the bungalow about as well as his own house. This left Louis free to look around curiously.

The front door opened up into a large room that Louis assumed was the main living space. It featured a sofa, a love seat, a couple easy chairs and a big flat-screen television. To the right as they moved into the living area was the kitchen. It wasn't very big, but it was big enough to house a table that should hold all of them for meals.

"The kitchen is stocked with enough food that you boys shouldn't go hungry during the week," Anne told them. "If you do start to run low, just give me a call, and I can bring you some more."

"Thanks, Mum," Harry said as he folded his cane up and hung it on a hook which was just inside the front door.

"There are three bedrooms," Anne continued. "They're small, but you should be comfortable with two each in two of them, though fair warning, one of the rooms has just one double bed. You can flip for the single room. All of the beds have fresh sheets on them."

"Thanks so much for setting things up," Louis told her politely.

"I didn't do it all by myself. Harry helped," Anne revealed. "And it's our pleasure. I think you boys taking some time to get to know each other before you go on to sing at Judges' Houses is a great idea."

"Do you want to see the bedrooms?" Harry asked Louis.

"Sure."

The boys left the adults behind to chat. Harry walked ahead of Louis into a small corridor at the back of the bungalow. Off the corridor were four doors. Harry stopped at the first one. "This is the washroom. We'll have to share, although I know Robin won't mind us using the house, if we need to." It was a small washroom, Louis discovered upon peering in, but should do for a week.

Across the hall, Harry pointed out the first bedroom. This one had a pair of twin beds. The second bedroom he showed Louis had the double bed Anne had warned him about. The third bedroom was a single with one twin bed. Each room was sparsely decorated, but clean and welcoming.

"We can decide later who gets what," Harry suggested. "When everyone's here to have a say."

"That makes sense."

The boys walked back to the front of the house. Upon arriving there, Louis said to Robin, "It's a terrific place. Thanks again for letting us stay."

Robin smiled in acknowledgment of Louis' words. "So, do you two want to wait up at the house for your friends or down here?"

"Are you going to be home to direct them here?" Harry asked.

"Wasn't planning on going out," he responded. "I have a fair amount of work to get done."

"Then what do you think, Louis? Wait here?" Harry asked after his opinion.

"Sounds good to me."

"We'll just head out, then," Anne said. "I think we may go do a nice mani-pedi. Don't forget to call me if you need anything, Harry."

Harry nodded. "I will, Mum."

Anne offered both boys a hug and a kiss goodbye. Jay did the same, telling Louis, "I'll be back for you in a week, Boo."

"I'll just be up at the house if you boys need anything," Robin reminded them. "And I'll direct your friends down here if they come to the house first."

"Thanks, Robin."

In no time at all, Louis and Harry were alone in the bungalow.

Harry flipped open the cover of his watch and felt the dial. "It's nearly noon. Niall's flight landed at half-eleven, and Liam said he and his mum were going to pick him up and head right here, so they should be here soon."

"And Zayn?" Louis asked.

"Is taking a train and a taxi. He thought he'd be here around two or three."

"Excellent."

"Are you hungry?" Harry inquired. "Mum and I bought loads of different kinds of food."

"Maybe we should wait until Liam and Niall get here," Louis reasoned. "They probably won't have eaten since breakfast either."

"That makes sense. So, what would you like to do while we wait?"

"What are my options?"

"Well, we could find something on the television, we could go for a swim, we could raid Robin's game closet," Harry listed some of the choices they had.

Louis pondered them. "Well, we should probably save the swimming for when the others are here, too. Don't want to be in the pool when they arrive. Watching telly can't be a lot of fun for you," he further posited, "so why don't we check out the games?"

"I don't actually mind television, though it would require a bit of assistance on your part, depending on what we put on," Harry explained, "but the game closet is over here." He walked over to a cupboard located in one corner of the living room and opened it. "Let me know what looks interesting. A lot of the stuff in there's been adapted for me."

"Really?" Louis was intrigued.

"Yep. Let me know if you see anything that looks good, and I can let you know if it will work for me." Harry opened the door and stepped back to give Louis full access.

Louis was impressed by the sheer number of games Robin had amassed. No wonder Harry called it the game closet. There were so many choices. Battleship, Risk, checkers, backgammon, Monopoly. Then his gaze landed upon an old favourite. He looked back at Harry. "How about Scrabble?"

Harry smiled. "That one's good. It's in both print and Braille. Go ahead and pull it out. We can play on the coffee table."

Louis did as he was told and pulled the game out from under the pile it was under. By the time he'd secured it, Harry was already on the way to said coffee table, and Louis closed the closet and followed him. Harry checked the table was clear--he had to move some magazines to the table on the side of the sofa--then Louis put the game down, and the boys sat on the floor on either side of the table to set up the board.

Harry reached out to find the box and pull the lid off, setting it under the table, out of the way, but easy to find later. Louis reached inside the box and retrieved the wooden letter racks and a velvet bag which clearly held tiles. Next, he pulled out the game board, placing it in the centre of the table. Unlike the Scrabble board they had back at his house, this board had Braille markings on it to show where the special scores were. Each square was ridged, so the tiles could stay in place. He pulled a tile from the bag to examine it. It had Braille on it, too, as well as a printed letter and tile value.

"So, how does this work?" Louis asked. "Any rule changes?"

Harry shook his head. "Nope. Same rules. You can keep score, though. Is there a pad and pencil in the box?"

"There is," Louis said after checking inside. He set the paper and small pencil to the side. "Anything else I need to know before we start?"

"I'll just need you to show me where you put your word," Harry requested. "And you are not allowed to make fun of my horrendous spelling."

"Got it," Louis agreed to the terms. He pressed the velvet bag into Harry's hand. "You pick first."

Harry took the bag and held his hand out for a wooden holder, which Louis passed over, too. Harry carefully drew seven tiles from the bag and placed them on his rack. Then Louis did the same. Finally, they drew to go first. Louis won that and took a moment to place his first word, "blame," on the board. When he was done, he directed Harry to the word, fighting every urge not to get lost in the softness of Harry's hand as he guided it.

Louis felt something stir in his stomach as he watched Harry concentrate first on reading the word Louis had placed, then on which potential special squares he could land on, and finally on his own tiles. Before he'd met Harry, Louis had had virtually no encounters with anyone blind beyond seeing them on TV or, occasionally, out in public. He had no idea how representative Harry was of the blind population at large, but he was continually fascinated by how Harry interacted with things around him. Harry wore a very serious expression on his face as he lowered his head and carefully checked the game board one more time before building the word "burn" from the 'b' in Louis' word.

"Six points," Harry announced. "Are you remembering to write the score down?"

Louis had not written down a thing, in fact, owing to being completely distracted by watching Harry. He grabbed the pad and hastily made two columns on the paper, one for "H" and one for "L," and then recorded the scores they'd earned so far. "I'm on it," he told Harry.

Harry smirked. "You only wrote it down just now."

Louis laughed. "You caught me. I forgot that was my job for a minute there."

"It's your turn now," Harry pointed out.

They traded turns amicably. Louis tended to make his moves quickly, while Harry took his time. Louis didn't mind. It gave him time to just watch Harry. Harry hadn't been lying, he was not the world's best speller. The first time he spelled something wrong--"wich" instead of either "which" or "witch"--Louis considered not saying anything. But then he thought about how he would feel if he were in Harry's position. He would want to know.

"Which do you mean, 'which kind' or 'witch on a broom?'" Louis asked.

"Is it spelled right for either of those?"

"I'm afraid not. You either need another 'h' or a 't.' Do you have either of those?"

Harry checked his tiles, then held one up. "Here's a 't.'

"Excellent. Goes right in the middle."

Harry grinned and fixed his word, and Louis updated the score.

"Thanks for not letting me get away with it," Harry said sincerely.

With a smile, Louis said, "Any time."

Play continued until Louis was able to get rid of his last letter by making the word "nu."

"That's not a word," Harry challenged.

"It is so," Louis insisted. "Google it."

Harry pulled his phone from his pocket and made a show of going about looking up the word, but when Louis didn't give in, Harry did. "Fine. What's the final score?"

"I have 272 and you have 215. I win!"

Harry's face immediately fell. "I lost?" he asked in a tiny voice.

At Harry's plaintive question, Louis' celebration came to a screeching halt. "You played really well. I just got lucky and got some of the higher scoring letters."

"I lost?" Harry asked again, casting his face down. It was just about the saddest thing Louis had ever seen. "I don't ever lose."

"I'm sorry," Louis ventured. "Best two out of three? We can play again."

As Louis watched Harry to gauge his reaction to his suggestion, a smile began to play on Harry's lips. It was at this point that Louis began to suspect that Harry's woe was not entirely legitimate. It was clear that a grin was trying to plaster itself on Harry's face.

"Wait a second," Louis requested. "What's going on here?"

Harry burst out laughing. "Gotcha."

Louis was genuinely confused. "You may have gotten me, but I don't get it."

Harry sobered up and explained, "When I was little, everyone used to let me win at games. I mean, who wants to beat the blind kid? Even now, I can't always be sure when I win at something that I really won. People usually fall over themselves apologising when they beat me. I wanted to see what you would do."

"So, an experiment," Louis posited.

"I guess," Harry allowed, adding, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not letting me win." The words were soft and serious; Harry was truly grateful. 

Louis wondered how often people catered to Harry when Harry would prefer that they didn't. He was willing to bet it was a fair amount. "Any time," he told him. "I'm still willing to play again, if you like."

Harry nodded. "Sure."

Louis and Harry were in the process of clearing the board for another round when there was a knock at the door. Louis began to rise to get the door, but when Harry began to rise, too, Louis let him take care of it. It was, after all, his family's place.

Harry opened the door to reveal Niall and Liam. When they announced themselves to Harry, Harry offered them hugs and ushered them inside.

"This is a great place," Niall enthused, his Irish lilt pronounced. "Thanks again for suggesting we come here."

Harry smiled. "You're welcome. Did you guys get to meet Robin?"

Liam shouldered his bag more securely as he answered, "Yeah. We knocked on his door first and he directed us down here. He seems like a good guy."

"He's the best," Harry confirmed. Changing the subject, he asked, "So, do you two want the tour?"

"Absolutely," Niall said.

Louis trailed behind as Harry led Niall and Liam on the exact same tour he'd given Louis just a short time before. They dropped their bags--and Niall's guitar--in the room with the twin beds, but agreed to suss out the sleeping arrangements once Zayn arrived.

When the tour was over, they all collapsed on the sofas in the living room.

"When did Zayn say he'd get here?" Niall asked.

"What time is it now?" Harry asked, opening the face of his watch.

"Almost one," Niall answered before Harry could read the time.

"He should be here in an hour or so, then," Harry said.

"So, what should we do until he comes?" Liam queried.

"Eat?" Niall asked hopefully.

"Harry didn't think we should until everyone is here," Louis told him.

"That makes sense," Liam agreed.

"Young Harold here just lost at Scrabble," Louis went on. "I think he was spoiling for a rematch. What do you boys say?"

"Sure," Liam and Niall said simultaneously.

"Harry? That all right?" Louis checked.

Harry shrugged. "Sure."

The boys all tumbled onto the floor and each one took a side of the table where the game was still set up. They worked together to get all the tiles back in the bag, and Louis shook them up while Harry explained to Niall and Liam that they would just have to show him each word they built.

It turned out that Niall wasn't a much better speller than Harry, evening things out, and the game was filled with much laughter as they made fun of each other and each of them tried to create the filthiest word they could think of.

They each had only a few tiles left when there was a knock at the door. Since it was Harry's turn in the game, Liam got up to answer it, letting Zayn in with a flourish.

"This place looks awesome," Zayn commented as he dropped his bag on the floor right inside the door.

"Come on in and watch me clean the floor with these three in Scrabble," Liam invited.

Zayn followed Liam over amiably, planting himself on the floor between Harry and Niall. He checked out the words spelled out on the board and said, "You guys are sick."

They all giggled, and Niall took his turn, using up all the letters on his rack to make the word "bum."

"That's seven more points to you, Niall," Louis, the official scorekeeper, announced. "Not enough to get near Liam, who wins with a score of 203."

Liam raised his arms in the air in victory. "Go me!" he cheered.

"Harry came in second with 167, me in third with 154, and Niall last with 128," Louis concluded.

They agreed to play again later to give Zayn a chance. Zayn, after all, claimed he could beat them all as he'd planned to be an English major at uni and knew lots and lots of words. The other four said they were more than ready to take him up on that challenge.

First, though, they had to decide on sleeping arrangements so bags could be put away properly.

"I'll take the single room," Harry offered straight away. "It's not fair for me to ask any of you to try to stay super neat when you're not used to it."

"Are you sure, Harry?" Louis inquired. "I'm sure none of us would mind keeping our things in order if you didn't want to be the one to be all alone."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's cool. You will have to watch it in the washroom, though, and not move any of my things around."

The boys all readily agreed, then decided that Louis and Zayn would take the double bed and Niall and Liam the twin beds, since their bags were already there.

Sleeping arrangements thus decided, they got their bags into the correct room, then converged upon the kitchen to eat.

Harry showed them that he and Anne had bought bread and sandwich meat aplenty, so they each made a sandwich and carried it to the table along with a bag of crisps and some sodas.

As they ate, they discussed what they wanted to accomplish over the week they had together.

Of course, they wanted to practise singing together and come up with some ideas of what to perform at Judges' Houses. They also all wanted to try out Robin's pool and the football pitch. In addition to the games in the closet they could play, Robin also had a small movie collection by the television, so they agreed they might try some of those as well. Mostly, though, they all wanted to hang out and really get to know each other. They figured the better they knew each other, the better they would perform with each other.

When they finished eating, they all cleaned up and decided it was time to try the pool. Harry had told them all beforehand to bring their swim trunks, so they all went to their respective rooms to change, then Harry directed them to the linen closet so they could each grab a towel.

They all filed out of the bungalow. Harry was the last to leave, grabbing his cane from the hook by the door. When he got outside, he held his hand out and asked for, "Louis?"

Louis had been the first one out of the house, and he instantly moved to help Harry. Liam, however, was closer, and he got to Harry first. "Can I help?"

While Louis struggled with a reaction which he knew was fuelled by jealousy, Harry appeared a bit taken aback. "I guess," he responded hesitantly.

"Well, we all need to learn sometime, right?" Liam went on. Louis would have been loath to admit it, but Liam's reasoning was logical.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

In deference to Louis' prior status as Harry's guide, Liam asked, "Okay, Louis?"

Louis had no choice but to nod, too. "Yeah. Makes sense."

"So, what do I do?" Liam wanted to know.

"I'll take your right elbow and walk a little behind you," Harry explained. "It's your job to let me know if there are any steps or anything in the way, but I'll use the cane, too, just in case."

"Sounds easy enough," Liam said as he slipped his elbow into Harry's outstretched hand.

Louis watched Liam carefully leading Harry up the path toward the pool and tried to sort out in his head exactly why he was filled with jealousy at the sight. Intellectually, he knew that it did, indeed, make sense for all of them to know how to help their blind member out. They were all in this together, all five of them. Louis didn't always have to be the one taking care of Harry. Nonetheless, he found himself wanting to always be the one taking care of Harry. And it wasn't just because he and Harry had been friends first. It was because Louis was beginning to want he and Harry to be more than friends.

They made it to the pool without incident. Once there, they dumped their towels on the chaise lounges situated to one side of the pool. That was when Zayn cleared his throat to softly confess, "I don't know how to swim."

The other four boys stopped in their tracks and looked (or faced, in Harry's case) in Zayn's direction.

"Seriously?" Niall voiced what they were all thinking.

Zayn nodded, turning pink with embarrassment. "I just never had the chance to learn."

"We can teach you," Liam offered kindly. The others all added noises of agreement.

"Thanks, lads," Zayn said, clearly grateful. "But that's okay. I can sit at the end of the pool and just watch. It's not a big deal."

"You sure?" Liam asked.

Zayn nodded once more, and, as if to prove his point, he walked to sit down at the far end of the pool, sticking his legs into the water.

The other boys jumped in and horsed around a little, pushing each other underwater and challenging each other to do tricks in the pool, though they took care around Harry, not wanting him to get hurt, though they did include him in what they were doing.

After a short while, Harry seemed to remember something. "Oh! There are all kinds of pool toys in the shed. Do you see it? It's right behind the house."

Liam, Louis, and Niall turned around in circles until they spotted the little shed to which Harry had referred. One by one, they piled out of the pool to check out the available toys, leaving Harry alone in the middle of the water with a wide grin on his face. "Don't mind me," he said to no one in particular, finding his own way to the edge of the pool and climbing out carefully to sit on the edge and wait.

The three explorers were delighted to find pool noodles, a volleyball, and a net in the shed. They hauled all of them out. As they lay the pool noodles on the side of the pool, Niall asked, "Harry, can we set up the net to play volleyball?"

"Knock yourself out," Harry allowed, still smiling.

Niall and Liam found the little holders for the net which were on either side of the pool and in no time at all had it set up.

"Harry, you'll play with us, yeah?" Louis asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. I am definitely a liability in volleyball. You guys play. Zayn and I will watch and keep score. Well, Zayn can watch and keep score, and I can keep Zayn company while he does that. Right, Zayn?"

"Sure thing," Zayn answered cheerfully. Louis watched, impressed, as Harry used those two words from Zayn to jump back into the pool and swim down to where Zayn sat, pulling himself up next to the other boy.

They decided to play one-on-two, but switch around so no one would have to play on their own for too long. It turned out that Louis was very good at volleyball, so Liam and Niall fought over getting their turn to be playing with Louis rather than against him. During one of these debates, Louis got a chance to look over at Harry and Zayn.

The two boys sat on the edge of the pool, both of them swinging their legs in the water. Their heads were bowed as they talked quietly to each other, lost in whatever conversation they were engaged in. Louis couldn't hear anything they were saying, but they both looked serious, though not sad. They looked so sweet together, Louis could forgive them for not doing their job and keeping track of the score.

Louis was torn from his contemplation of the cuteness that was Zayn and Harry when one of the other boys hit him on the head with the ball. "Oy!" he cried.

Eventually, they declared that they were all awesome at volleyball, so much so that the points didn't matter, and they pulled down the net. Since he was out of the pool anyway--to take care of one side of the net--Louis gathered up two pool noodles and carried them down to the end of the pool where Harry and Zayn sat. Tossing the noodles behind him for a moment, he sank down to sit down next to Harry.

"Hey," he interrupted Zayn and Harry's conversation, bumping Harry congenially with his shoulder. "We found pool noodles. Want one?"

"Sure," Harry responded. "Those I can do things with. Well, one thing." He held out his hands for one, and Louis gave him the bright pink one. Harry slipped into the pool with the noodle. Louis threw a green one to Liam and an orange one to Niall before taking the bright blue one and jumping back into the pool, too.

Harry immediately found a clear spot in the pool and it took him a few tries, but he eventually showed off how he could balance, standing, on the middle of the noodle.

The others all applauded as Harry jumped off the noodle. "Who taught you how to do that?" Niall asked. "That's wicked cool."

"My sister," Harry explained.

"Is that Gemma?" Louis confirmed, remembering the name Harry had mentioned when giving Louis his house tour earlier that day.

"Yeah." Harry pulled his pool noodle back over to Zayn's end of the pool, and the others trailed behind. It wasn't long before they were all lounging on noodles in something close to a semi-circle around where Zayn sat.

"So, is Gemma older or younger than you?" Louis continued his line of questioning.

"Older," Harry answered. "By three years. She's awesome. Do you have brothers and sisters?"

Louis replied, "I have four little sisters. They're twelve, ten, and the twins are five."

Liam whistled. "Wow. That must be entertaining. Or annoying."

"Mostly entertaining," Louis said with a grin. "They're pretty cool. How about you, Liam? Any siblings?"

"I have two older sisters," Liam told him. "One is two years older, the other is four years older. They're great. A little overprotective, but I figure that's better than the alternative."

"I have three sisters," Zayn piped up. "One older--she's nineteen--and two younger--they're twelve and eight. They're super, too."

"That is a lot of estrogen," Niall commented wryly.

"Any in your house?" Louis asked.

"Other than my mum, no," Niall said, smirking. "I have an older brother, and that's it. He's twenty-three and one of my best mates."

"That's ten sisters between us," Harry noted. "We'd best do well on _X-Factor_ so we can spoil them all."

The others chuckled and made noises of agreement.

"Hey!" Louis exclaimed. "I just realised…. I know you're sixteen, Harry. When will you be seventeen?"

"February 1st," Harry revealed.

"How old are the rest of you?" Louis questioned.

"I turned seventeen in January," Zayn said.

Niall took his turn. "I'll be seventeen next month."

"I'll be seventeen at the end of this month," Liam put in.

"And I'm eighteen, nineteen in December," Louis finished the list.

"Old man!" Harry teased.

"Baby!" Louis was close enough to punch Harry playfully in the arm.

"Ow!" The smile on his face, however, belied the true level of Harry's pain.

"I am turning into a prune," Niall offered a complete non-sequitor. "I believe I should get out of the pool." Without waiting for any reaction from the others, he popped off his pool noodle and climbed out of the pool, making a beeline for the chaise lounges and his towel.

The others decided Niall had the right idea, and they all clambered out of the pool. Louis lingered after he was out, waiting for Harry to make sure he found his way to his towel. It was clear, however, that Harry had his bearings, and even though he moved slowly, he made it to the chaise lounge without needing Louis' aid.

Harry grabbed his towel and threw it over his shoulders. When he turned to find a seat, he bumped right into Louis, who had followed behind him closely. 

"Sorry," Louis murmured.

Harry grinned. "Stop hovering."

"I-I wasn't," Louis lied, reaching for his own towel.

"I'm fine, Louis. I've been here a million times before," Harry explained. "I promise I'll let you know if I need any help. Okay?"

Louis had a feeling there would be a steep learning curve attached to that lesson, but nevertheless, he agreed, "Okay."

The boys decided to relax in the sun for a little, and they haggled over the four chaise lounges Robin had until Liam said he would blow up the raft they'd found in the shed and lay on that.

They silently soaked up the sun for about thirty minutes until Liam pointed out that they might not want to lay out too long without any sunscreen, lest they spend part of the week suffering from sunburn.

Harry suggested they go back to the bungalow and take turns in the shower, maybe find a movie to put on the television. The other boys were in agreement, and, after putting everything they took from the shed back in it, they all gathered their towels to trudge back inside. Harry did let Louis guide him then, though Louis did note that Harry did not unfold his cane for this trip, putting his total faith in Louis' skill.

Once inside, Zayn called the first shower. The rest of them piled onto the sofas in the living area. Niall found the remote controls and got the television on, scrolling through channels until they located a movie they were all up for watching. Harry's only request was they take turns describing what was happening on screen, which turned into a contest to see who could do the best job. By the time all the boys except Harry had had a turn to clean off the chlorine, Niall was ahead, relishing in citing the smallest visual details for Harry's edification.

"So, how much mess will I find in the bathroom?" Harry asked, rising from the love seat he'd been settled in.

"I'll come with, and we can check," Louis offered.

"Super," Harry said, starting across the room in the direction of the washroom.

Louis stood to trail behind him, careful this time to not try to give unnecessary help.

Harry stopped on the threshold of the washroom and turned his head slightly to inquire, "How bad is it?"

Louis peered over Harry's shoulder into the room which was still steamy from Liam's turn. There were a couple towels on the floor and the sink was a bit of a muddle, but all-in-all, it wasn't too bad, and Louis said so, adding, "You go get what you need from your bedroom, and I'll tidy it up enough you won't have a problem."

Harry nodded. "Okay." He sidled past Louis to get to his room, the one right across the hall.

It only took Louis a minute or two to pick up the towels and straighten up the items surrounding the sink. He checked the shower and cleared a space on the back edge where Harry could set his things. Louis was just wiping down the sink with one of the used towels when Harry appeared in the doorway carrying clean clothes, a towel, and a toilet kit.

"All clear?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Louis answered. "I cleared a spot on the back edge of the shower for you to put your shampoo and all. Everything's off the floor."

"Thanks, Louis. I appreciate it."

Louis dropped the towel he'd been using the clean the sink into the hamper and then sidled past Harry so Harry could take over the room. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

Twenty minutes later, all five boys were in comfy clothes and scattered on sofas and chairs in front of the television. One movie had blended into another, but Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Louis were all still gamely offering visual descriptions for Harry, though it had become less of a contest and more just a group of friends helping another friend out.

It was late afternoon and they were at the end of their second movie when the front door opened wide and a whirlwind in the form of a slight girl with long, light brown hair blew in. She was dressed in a dark blue sundress and carried a shopping bag which she set by the television on her way to move right behind where Harry sat. The other boys sat staring speechlessly at her as she put her finger over her mouth to warn them to keep silent and then covered Harry's eyes with her hands, grinning all the while.

Harry jumped in his seat, but it only took a moment for a grin to break out on his face as he reached up to grab hold of the hands on his face. "Gemma!" he exclaimed, his tone equal parts fondness and exasperation.

She leaned down and kissed him on the head. "How're you doing, H?"

"You can report to Mum that I'm fine. Everyone's fine," Harry told her wearily, as if they'd had this conversation before.

"I'm wounded," Gemma said, clutching at her chest overdramatically. "You think I came here to spy?"

Harry nodded firmly. "I do. Wouldn't even be the first time."

"I am not here to spy," she scoffed. "I heard that you brought four cute guys to the bungalow. You expect me not to come check that out?"

Harry sighed. "Boys, meet my sister Gemma. Gemma, the boys."

Gemma went to each of the boys to shake their hands, and they introduced themselves, then she planted herself by her brother's side, resting her hand on his leg. "So, what have you been up to this afternoon?"

"Don't you have someplace you need to be?" Harry pointedly returned question for question.

"Nope. Nowhere. So, what have you been up to?"

"Harry introduced us to the pool," Niall offered.

"Brilliant. Did he remember to point out the shed? We toss all the pool stuff in there."

"He did," Louis said. "We pulled out just about everything."

Gemma smiled, and Louis noted just how much she and Harry resembled each other. He saw some of himself in her, too. She was clearly just as protective of Harry as he was of all his baby sisters. And none of his sisters had the challenges Harry had had to face. He could only imagine how much Gemma had had to take on because her little brother was blind.

"He showed you where the games are, and all the DVDs, yeah?" she went on to inquire.

"Geez, Gemma," Harry whined, although the resignation in his tone indicated he was used to her trying to take charge.

"He did that, too," Louis confirmed. "He's been a great host."

Harry sent a grateful smile in Louis' direction, then turned to his sister. "Are you quite convinced I've not bored them to death?"

She chuckled. "Okay, okay. Oh! I almost forgot…." Gemma patted Harry's leg before getting up. "Mum thought you might like to have the PlayStation." She retrieved the bag she'd set down by the television and brought it closer to where the boys sat. "Everything's in here--the console, the controllers, and all the games."

"Wizard!" Niall exclaimed, immediately making for the bag to examine its contents.

"Can I talk to you for a second in the kitchen, H?" Gemma asked her brother.

"Sure." He rose and followed her out of the room.

While Harry was talking with Gemma, Niall got everything out of the bag and showed the boys the games which were included. They were most excited to see FIFA among the games, Louis in particular. He explained that he was a huge football fan.

It wasn't too long before Harry and Gemma returned. Gemma was grinning, but Harry looked a little embarrassed, Louis noted. He wondered exactly what their conversation had been about.

"So, is there anything else I can get you, boys?" Gemma inquired of the room at large.

They all looked at each other and shook their heads. "No, I think we're good," Liam told her. "But thanks."

"And thanks for bringing the PlayStation," Niall added.

"You’re welcome," she returned with a big smile.

Harry turned to give Gemma a hug. After they parted, he said, "You're going now, right?"

"Yes, I'm going now," she agreed. She kissed his cheek. "Have fun, boys!"

They all called out a variety of thanks and goodbyes, and then Gemma was gone just as quickly as she'd come.

Harry collapsed back on the sofa. "Sorry about that, boys. The women in my life are a little bit nosy and overprotective."

"Hey, we just established outside that, other than Niall, we are all familiar with how sisters are," Liam pointed out. "My big sisters are pretty overprotective, too."

Harry visibly relaxed at Liam's words.

"So, your sister went to all that trouble to bring over the PlayStation. We should hook it up," Niall said, immediately moving the console to a spot right in front of the television.

Liam joined him on the floor and in no time at all, they had the game system hooked up, and they started up FIFA. Niall and Zayn took the first turn, the others cheering them on.

Niall proved to be a pro at the game, and he beat Zayn handily. Liam and Louis took on each other next, with Louis besting Liam with relative ease. He claimed it was all the actual football he played that made him so good.

"Now it's your turn, Harry," Louis announced.

Harry appeared startled by the suggestion, then shook his head and offered a smile. "That's okay. I'm happy enough to just listen."

"Have you played before?" Louis wondered aloud.

"Not that game. That was Gemma's boyfriend's favourite," he explained.

Based on what Harry had said, Louis concluded, "But you've played with the PS before?"

Harry nodded. "I'm pretty decent at Mortal Kombat."

"Then we should play that next," Louis decided. "But I'll bet we can figure out a way for you to play this, too."

"Really, it's okay," Harry demurred. "I'm fine."

"Aw, come on," Niall urged. "Try it!"

"Yeah, try it," Liam persuaded.

"You can play me," Zayn offered. "I haven't played this game a lot, either."

"See, it's four against one, Harry," Louis pointed out. "You have to try."

"Okay," Harry relented. "I'm not promising I'll be any good."

"You don't have to be," Liam assured him. "It's just supposed to be fun."

Louis thought about logistics for a moment, then said, "I can guide you if you get down on the floor. I'll sit behind and basically spot you."

"Sounds good." Harry got up from his seat and walked toward Louis' voice. When he got close, Louis grabbed his arm and helped him to the floor. He handed Harry the controller, then sat behind him, placing one of his legs by each of Harry's shoulders. He leaned over to check he'd be able to get to the controller if he needed to.

He gave Harry a quick rundown of which buttons on the controller made which moves in the game, then when Harry gave the go-ahead, Zayn started the game.

It took a fair amount of teamwork and a lot of narration on Louis' part, but although Zayn ended up winning, Harry did manage to score a few goals. Louis made him do a high five when their game was over. "We'll get him next time," Louis vowed.

As Harry handed the controller off to Louis, he said, "Thanks for making me play. That was fun."

Louis beamed. "I'm glad you had a good time. We'll have to do Mortal Kombat next, since that's the one you know."

"First, though," Niall put in, "as the winner of the first round, I challenge you, Louis, since you won the second."

"You're on," Louis accepted, situating himself for the duel.

After Louis won over Niall in a hard-won fight, they played some Mortal Kombat. Harry showed off his skill at that game by beating Zayn, though it was not by a large margin. Zayn tried to pawn off his loss on not much practise with that game, either, but Louis argued that Harry was just better, and Niall and Liam were quick to agree.

It was at this point that they realised that it was way past time for dinner, so they vowed to do some rematches later and trooped into the kitchen.

A hunt through the kitchen turned up a frozen lasagna, which they heated and then ate sitting around the round table in the corner. As they ate, they compared favourite foods. Harry liked Mexican, Zayn said he'd eat just about anything, Niall would eat Nando's every day, Louis liked pizza and pasta, and as far as Liam was concerned, it was all about chocolate. Harry told them he was pretty sure they'd all be able to find something to eat during the week in the stuff he and his mum had bought, although he said they might have to go out for some sweets, as they had not purchased much of those when they'd done the shopping.

Liam and Zayn cleaned up after dinner--they agreed to take turns--then they all settled back in the living room to chat until it was time for bed.

"So, what made everyone try out for _X-Factor_?" Liam asked. "I already told you boys about trying out a couple years ago, but you never told what made you guys decide to try out."

Zayn shrugged. "I've always just loved singing, and my mum thought I should try out. I almost didn't make the first audition, though, because my mum had a really hard time getting me out of bed that morning. It was so early!"

"Glad you did make, it, bro," Niall said. "It was early. I didn't mind, though. I've always loved singing and playing the guitar. All my friends said I should try out for _X-Factor_ , and my mum and dad agreed, so I did."

"I got into performing in shows when I was in school," Louis told them. "And my mum was the one who talked me into trying out, too."

Harry put in, "I had been in a band, but I really wasn't sure about trying out. My sister was the one who kind of insisted."

"So happy she did," Louis commented with a smile.

"Yeah," Liam agreed. "Now here we all are."

"One Direction!" Harry suddenly exclaimed.

A chorus of, "What?" followed from all the others.

"We were all on a separate path to get to _X-Factor_ , now we're all going in one direction," Harry explained himself. "So, I was thinking maybe we could call ourselves that. One Direction."

The others all took turns trying it on for size, saying it in silly announcer voices and at different paces with different tones.

Finally, Liam said, "I like it a lot. I think it's a great idea."

"Me, too," Zayn said.

"I think it's wicked cool," Niall put in his two pennies. "Ace job, Harry."

"Louis?" Harry asked the only one who hadn't shared his opinion yet. "What do you think?"

"I think it's brilliant," Louis responded. "I think that's it. Our band, One Direction."

Having made a grand decision about their name, they filled the next few hours with a rambling conversation that covered a variety of topics. Nothing too deep, just pleasant chatting during which they learned a little more about each other.

It was late when they got on the subject of favourite sports to play.

"Mine is obviously football," Louis said.

"Mine, too," Niall agreed. "I used to play on my school's team."

"I like boxing," Liam told them. "I learned it from my sister's boyfriend when I was twelve."

"What about you, Zayn?" Louis asked, looking over to the boy sitting on the other side of Liam. He grinned. "Well, he's out."

Zayn's head leaned back on the pillow behind him, and his mouth was slightly open. He was clearly passed out cold.

"Well, what about you, Harry?" Louis changed tacks, looking over at the love seat that Harry had curled up on hours ago. He sighed fondly. "Aw, the little one's out, too."

Harry had laid down and rested his head on the arm of the love seat. His eyes were closed, and soft snores emanated from where he lay.

"Well, it has been a long day," Liam noted. "Maybe we should all try some sleep."

Niall nodded, yawning as he did so. "Sounds good to me."

"Should we get them up to go to bed?" Liam wondered aloud.

"Probably," Louis answered. "Zayn will have a crick in his neck if he sleeps all night like that, and I'm not sure, but Harry could get really disoriented if he wakes up and doesn't know where he is."

"Makes sense," Liam concurred. "So, should I handle Zayn and you Harry?"

"Works for me."

While Liam--with an assist from Niall--began to try to rouse Zayn, Louis walked over to crouch at the side of the love seat so he was eye level with Harry. Putting a hand on Harry's shoulder, he whispered the younger boy's name. He got zero response as Harry's snores continued uninterrupted.

He was vaguely aware that Liam and Niall were also having difficulty awakening their charge, but he focused most of his attention on trying to figure out the best way to wake Harry up without startling him too much in the process. Gently, he shook Harry's shoulder and whispered his name a little more loudly.

This time, Harry stirred under his touch. He made a tiny mewling sound which went straight to Louis' heart. Louis whispered, "Hey there, sleepyhead. Time to get up and go to bed."

"Louis?" Harry confirmed sleepily, eyes opening about halfway.

"Got it in one," Louis said with a smile.

Harry sounded a little upset with himself when he asked, "I fell asleep?"

"It's okay," Louis assured him. "Zayn did, too."

"Oh." Harry seemed slightly mollified as he pushed himself back into a seated position. "What time is it?"

"I don't know. No watch," Louis lamented. "But it's late."

Harry checked his own watch. "It's almost midnight."

"Time for all good boy banders to go to bed," Louis intoned.

Harry chuckled at that. They both became aware just then that Liam and Niall were still trying to wake Zayn up. "Wow, he's a sound sleeper," Harry commented, smiling.

Louis turned around in time to see Liam and Niall in the process of physically lifting Zayn to take him to the bed. Zayn finally woke with a start. "What?" he whined.

Niall punched him lightly on the arm. "You fell asleep, you dork. We've been trying to wake you up for five minutes."

"Oh. Sorry," Zayn said, his tone sincere. "I guess it's time for bed."

"I think so, yeah," was Liam's weary response.

While Liam and Niall helped Zayn to his feet, Louis asked Harry if he needed any help.

Harry shook his head. "I'm good, thanks. Can I have the toilet first, though?"

"All yours," Louis allowed, rising so Harry wouldn't stumble over him when he stood up.

"I don't need it," Zayn announced. "I'm just going to go crash. Good night."

They all chorused good nights at him as he slowly moved in the direction of the bedroom he was sharing with Louis.

Liam, Niall, and Louis all waited while Harry made use of the facilities. When Harry was done, Liam took his turn.

Standing in the doorway of his room, right next to where Louis and Niall awaited their turn in the washroom, Harry told them, "Let me know if you guys need anything,"

"We will, thanks," Niall said.

Harry's eyes were still hooded; he was clearly hopelessly tired. "No alarms, right?" he asked.

"God, no," Louis scoffed. "We're on vacation."

Harry grinned. "Great. See you at some point in the morning, then," he bid them good night.

"Night," both boys told him, their voices overlapping.

Louis watched as Harry shuffled fully into his room, closing the door behind him. He couldn't help wishing he'd argued a little more when Harry had offered to take the single room. He would have happily traded a week of having to consciously not be messy for the opportunity to share his room with Harry.

After taking his turn in the washroom, Louis changed into some pyjama bottoms and slipped into the bed next to an already-unconscious Zayn. Next time, he decided. Next time, he'd argue more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bungalow, Part Two (aka True Confessions)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My continued thanks for all the feedback. Every comment and kudo makes me smile. :-)
> 
> (Trivia: At ~13,400 words, this will be the single longest chapter I post.... Lots going on!)

When Louis awoke the first time, he glanced at his phone, and it told him it was seven a.m. Way too early, so he turned over and went right back to sleep. When he awoke the second time, his phone said it was eight-thirty. Zayn was still out cold next to him, so Louis turned over again, falling right back asleep. The third time he awoke, it was nine-fifteen. Louis felt well-rested at this point, and so, careful not to jostle the bed too much, he climbed out and made for the washroom.

When he was done with his morning routine, he went out into the living room to see if anyone else was awake. He found Liam laying on the sofa, channel surfing. None of the other boys appeared to be up yet.

"Good morning," Louis greeted his bandmate.

"Morning, Louis."

"Nothing good on?" Louis asked, plopping down on the love seat Harry had fallen asleep on the night before.

"Nope," Liam confirmed.

"Want some tea?" Louis asked next. "I'd like some tea."

"Sure."

Louis padded into the kitchen. A little hunting turned up a kettle and some teabags. Louis filled the kettle full--in case any of the other boys woke up--and turned a burner on under it. While he waited for the water to boil, he found spoons in a drawer, milk in the refrigerator and a bowl of sugar in a cupboard over the counter. Finally, he found a teapot and two mugs in another cupboard. When the kettle whistled, he put several teabags into the teapot and poured the steaming liquid in after them, then carried everything into the living room on a tray he found leaning against the back of the counter.

Liam sat up to pour and doctor his tea with milk and a little sugar, while Louis took his without either. "Mmmm," Liam said as he took his first sip. "Good idea, Lou."

Louis smiled and sipped at his own drink.

They sat quietly for a few moments, both just enjoying having time to leisurely enjoy their morning tea.

Louis' cup was half full when Liam inquired, "So, what's with you and Harry?" 

Louis had to struggle to keep from dropping his drink into his lap, and he was glad he had not been taking a sip when Liam had asked his question. "Excuse me?" he returned.

Liam narrowed his eyes and looked askance at Louis. "There's something going on between you two."

Fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, Louis twisted around to check no one else was up. "I don't know what you're talking about. We're friends. We met right before auditions. He's cool. We get along really well."

Liam shook his head. "No, it's not just that. There's something else. You looked at me like I had taken your favourite thing when I offered to help him to the pool yesterday."

Louis had thought he'd managed to hide his reaction pretty well. He'd have to work harder at that in the future if he wanted to maintain his cover.

He was silent just a moment too long. Liam pursed his lips and pointed knowingly at Louis. "I knew it. You like him. As more than a friend."

Louis sighed. His cover was blown before he could even try to implement it. He gave Liam a small nod. "I think I do," he confessed softly.

A grin split Liam's face. "I knew it!" After a beat, he concluded, "He has no idea, does he?"

Louis shook his head slowly. "I'm still trying to figure things out in my head."

"What are you going to do?" Liam asked, his tone kind. Louis could tell Liam was totally cool with this and wanted to be supportive.

Louis shrugged. "I have no idea."

"When I like a girl, I usually just try to give her flirty looks and hope she catches on," Liam revealed. "But I guess that's not going to work for you in this situation."

"No," Louis agreed sadly. "That part doesn't bother me, you know. That he can't see."

Liam smiled. "No, I can tell that it doesn't. He probably can, too. You're really good with him without being overbearing."

"He's amazing. He really is."

"You just have to figure out a way to let him know what you're thinking," Liam said.

"Yeah. Tricky."

"We'll think of something."

"We?" Louis questioned Liam's choice of words.

"Sure. We. I'll help. Get you two a little alone time." Liam smiled widely."I think you guys would make a cute couple." 

The slamming of a door alerted the two boys that they were no longer the only ones awake.

"Don't tell Niall or Zayn," Louis requested quickly.

"They may have figured it out, too," Liam warned. "You weren't exactly subtle. But my lips are sealed."

"Thanks."

A couple minutes later, Harry appeared in the entry to the living room, hand gently touching the wall. Tentatively, he said, "Hello?" Louis guessed he'd heard the television and assumed someone else was up.

"Hey. Morning, Harry," Liam greeted him.

"Good morning, Harry," Louis followed suit.

"Morning," Harry returned with a smile. "Are Niall and Zayn up yet?"

"Not yet," Louis answered. "Come sit down. I made tea. Do you want some?"

"Sure," Harry told him, making his way toward where Liam and Louis were lounging. He held his right hand out slightly in front of himself to help avoid bumping into something. "Where...?"

Louis knew Harry was trying to figure out where he should sit, so he stood up and said, "Love seat. I'll go get you a mug."

"Thanks." Now Harry knew what to head for, he moved a little more quickly to take the seat Louis had vacated.

Louis traded a knowing look with Liam before he headed to the kitchen. The look was meant to convey a wish that Liam not say anything to Harry about the conversation they'd just had. Liam nodded and shooed Louis out of the room with a silent hand.

Louis retrieved another mug and spoon and returned quickly to the living area. He wasn't sure where to sit, but he decided joining Harry on the love seat--however tempting--was silly when Liam was the only one on the sofa. Before joining Liam, though, Louis poured tea into the mug he'd brought with him. "Milk and sugar, right, Harry?" Louis confirmed he remembered correctly from their meeting at the coffee shop the week before.

"That's right. Good memory."

Louis put in some of both. "Here."

Harry held out his hands and requested, "Handle first, please."

Louis slipped the mug to him per his instructions. "Careful. It's hot."

"Thanks." Harry blew over the top of his drink before starting to sip.

The three boys sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, drinking their tea and paying half-attention to the cartoon Liam had found on the TV.

When the credits started blaring a screechy pop tune, Liam turned the sound down. "So, boys, what shall we do today? It's a beautiful day. Two in a row! We should take advantage of it."

"Louis, you wanted to try the football pitch, yeah?" Harry asked. "We could do that."

"Do you play, Harry?" Liam wondered aloud.

Harry nodded. "In the front closet is a football which has some bells inside. There are these things we clip to the two goals which beep to let me know where they are. I'm not the best player ever, don't get me wrong, but I've made my fair share of goals."

"Excellent!" Louis said. "I want you on my team, then."

Liam had been taking another sip of his tea just as Louis made his announcement, and Louis' words made him choke, then cough.

Louis' eyes widened as he registered what he'd just said and how Liam had interpreted it. He looked over at Liam and shook his head, begging him with his eyes not to say anything.

"Are you okay, Liam?" Harry asked, concerned--and completely, thankfully, oblivious.

Liam let loose another cough, nodding. "'m fine," he choked out, clearly recognizing that his nod did not give any information to Harry. "Tea just went down the wrong way."

"You sure?"

Liam let out another, final choked cough, then looked over at Louis and smiled, letting Louis know his lips were still sealed. "I'm fine," he told Harry.

It was at this moment that Niall made his first appearance of the day. "Morning, fellas. Are you all trying to kill Liam?"

"No," Liam assured him. "My tea is."

"Mmm, tea," Niall practically hummed.

"There are mugs in the kitchen," Harry told him. "Right over the sink."

"Awesome." Niall headed into the kitchen to get what he needed, returning with two mugs. "Just in case Zayn ever wakes up," he explained, setting the mugs down and filling one with tea.

Niall sat on the floor in front of the coffee table. As he sipped at his tea, he asked, "So, is there a plan for the day?"

"We got as far as planning a game of football," Liam filled him in. "Any other ideas?"

"It looks amazing outside," Niall commented. "We should definitely hit the pool again."

"Absolutely," Liam concurred.

"We should probably have you get out your guitar at some point, Niall," Louis ventured. "Since we do need to start practising as a group."

Harry and Liam nodded their agreement as Niall said, "Sure."

"I'm sure we can find plenty to do," Liam postulated. "And we have a whole week in which to do it. Feels like a real vacation."

"It really does," Louis said, finally draining the last of his tea.

"What time is it?" Niall asked.

Louis glanced over at the digital display on the cable box. "Just after ten."

"How long should do you think we should let Zayn sleep?" Niall went on.

"I can start getting breakfast ready," Harry offered. "Maybe the noise will wake him up?"

"Mmm, breakfast," Niall said appreciatively.

"Liam, Louis? You guys hungry, too?" Harry inquired, already rising from his seat.

"Yeah," Liam answered. "I could eat."

"Can I help?" Louis asked. "I'm a shit cook, but I can play sous chef and help you get everything ready."

"Sure, that'd be great. Come on."

Louis followed Harry into the kitchen. "So, what are we making?"

"I wasn't going to do much actual cooking. We can just get out some cereal and milk and make some toast."

"Sounds easy."

"I don't remember which cupboard my mum put it in, but I know she bought some cereal," Harry explained. "If you can find that and get the milk, butter, and bread from the fridge, I can get out bowls, spoons, and knives."

Louis followed directions and began searching for the cereal. He found it in the second cupboard he checked, then he got out the things they'd need from the fridge.

Harry was transferring the things he was in charge of to the table. When he'd done that and set the table, he asked Louis to pull out six pieces of bread and toast them. The toaster, he said, should be right on the counter. It was, and, two at a time, Louis toasted six pieces--making one extra, just in case--placing them on the serving plate Harry had left on the counter for him to use.

Louis put the toast, butter, cereal, and milk on the table, then asked Harry what else they needed. Harry said, "Just Zayn. Oh, and some napkins. Those should be in a holder somewhere on the counter."

Louis found the napkins and put a stack on the table. "I'll go rouse Zayn. You can go get the others and get started, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Waking Zayn proved to be as much of a project in the morning as it was late at night, but Louis eventually coaxed him up and out of bed. Louis then joined the others in the kitchen, while Zayn did the same a few minutes later.

The boys made quick work of breakfast, and the cleanup was quick, as well, with each of them taking care of getting their own bowl into the dishwasher and helping to put away all the food.

They all changed into shorts and trainers before Louis, at Harry's request, found the football and beepers for the goals that Harry had described in the closet by the front door. Then they all grabbed water bottles from the fridge and tumbled out of the house and over to the football pitch.

They took a moment to warm up with some stretches, then they huddled in the centre of the field to talk logistics.

"So how does this work, Harry?" Liam asked.

"Do you have the beepers for the goals?"

Louis ran to the side of the pitch where they had set both the ball and the beepers and he brought them back to the huddle. "Got 'em."

"It doesn't matter which goes where, but put one on the top centre of each goal," Harry directed. "There's a little switch on the side to turn it on."

Liam took one and Louis the other, and in no time at all, both of the goals were set. Each goal had its own series of beeps, making it easy enough to distinguish one from the other.

"What else should we do?" Niall wanted to know.

"Talk about what you're doing," Harry requested. "So I know where you are and what you're planning to do. It also helps if you tell me where our opponents are."

"Sounds good," Zayn said.

"It'll probably take a little practise," Harry warned them. "Don't worry if you forget to say something. I'll live."

"So, who's playing who?" Zayn went on.

"Well, I said earlier I wanted Harry on my team," Louis said, raising an eyebrow and meeting Liam's gaze meaningfully. Liam didn't say a word. "You still okay with that, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Sure."

"I'll play with Louis and Harry," Liam offered.

"All right," Niall agreed amiably. Turning to Zayn, he said, "Let's kick their asses." He reached a hand out so he and Zayn could fist bump.

Louis produced a coin from his pocket to toss for who would start with the ball--Niall and Zayn won--then they began to play.

It took a while for Louis, Liam, and Harry to find a good rhythm. Liam was pretty good about remembering to yell out what he was planning to do, but Louis would forget, then catch himself a little too late. A couple of times he tried to pass the ball to Harry, but forgot to announce it, so Harry didn't quite get to the ball in time. However, the longer they played, the more it became second nature to just call out to Harry before doing something, and once they had that rhythm down, they had a pretty even match.

They called it quits when they were tied 5-5, and they all collapsed in the middle of the field with their water bottles.

"Great game!" Niall enthused.

"You're pretty good out there, Styles," Liam complimented his teammate.

Harry blushed. "Thanks." Harry had scored one goal for their team and given many an assist to Louis and Liam to make their goals possible.

Louis had been genuinely impressed by how well Harry played. He had never really considered that someone blind could be any good at football. Harry had handily disavowed him of that notion, keeping up with them pretty well and proving fairly facile with the ball.

"Next time, Niall and Zayn won't be so quick to let us have you," Louis added. "Where did you learn to play?"

"I have a group of friends who like to play, and I play with them a lot. Also, school," Harry told them. "My school was pretty good about getting adaptive equipment for me."

"So, you went to a regular school?" Louis confirmed. He had wondered about that, but hadn't wanted to ask.

Harry nodded. "Not much choice way out here. But I had good teachers and an aide all to myself each year. I did okay. Passed all my exams, at least."

"Cool," was the only response Louis could think of.

"I don't know about you boys," Niall piped up, "but I could use a swim."

"A swim would be lovely," Liam agreed.

The boys collected all the things they'd brought out to the pitch and went back into the bungalow only long enough to change into swim trunks and collect some towels, then they made their way to the pool.

They spent the next hour alternately horsing around in the pool and lounging on the chaise lounges. When Niall started to turn a little pink, they decided they needed to head back inside.

In a repeat of the previous afternoon, they turned on the television and took turns in the shower, although this time, Harry went first.

When they were all done cleaning off from all their exercise, they made sandwiches for lunch, eating them sitting in the living room. Niall and Zayn cleaned up, then when they reappeared, Niall had his guitar case with him.

"Thought we might try our hand at some singing," Niall explained.

Liam switched off the TV while Niall pulled his guitar from its case. He took a moment to tune it, then asked the room at large what they should try.

As he had back when they'd first met Niall, Harry suggested a Beatles song. Niall seemed pleased by this idea and asked if they knew "I Saw Her Standing There." Happily, they all did, and Niall began to play.

Harry started singing first, then the other four quickly joined in. They found it easy to harmonize, and when the song was over, they unanimously decided that they sounded pretty good together--if they did say so themselves. Louis felt exponentially more confident that they had a chance at Judges' Houses. Whichever of the judges had decided the five of them would work well as a group might have known what they were doing.

They tried a couple more Beatles tunes, then segued into songs they all knew by a variety of artists Niall happened to know songs by--Westlife, Coldplay, Elton John.

They sang together for over an hour before the busy day started to catch up with them and almost all of them started to yawn uncontrollably. Niall set his guitar to the side, and they piled onto the couches for some television, though in reality, it only took about five minutes for them all to pass out for a nap.

They awoke one by one, and once the last of them was up and feeling re-energized by their siesta, they decided that it was time for some video game rematches.

They lost several hours to Mortal Kombat and FIFA. They shared wins and losses pretty evenly among them, and Louis and Harry turned out to be beginning to be quite a formidable combination when playing FIFA as a team.

It was early evening when they realised they should probably eat some dinner, and they found some pasta and sauce in the kitchen and worked together to prepare a simple meal that they all dug into while sitting in front of a movie. After dinner, they raided the game closet and settled on Monopoly, which, like the Scrabble game they'd played the day before, was adapted into Braille for Harry.

They all proved to be pretty cutthroat at Monopoly, fighting for every last property. Harry wound up with both Mayfair and Park Place, but Zayn got all the railroads, and Louis had so many rentals on his properties that he cleaned up on each round of the board. In the end, Harry squeaked out a narrow victory over Louis.

As Zayn and Liam cleaned up the game, Niall found a deck of Brailled cards and some poker chips in the game closet, and he suggested they go ahead and play some poker. Neither Harry nor Zayn had ever played before, so the other three taught them. Zayn turned out to be a natural, and he cleaned the floor with the rest of them several hands in a row.

By the time Zayn had all the chips in front of him, it was late, and they all agreed it was time to pass out. They bid each other good night and, after taking turns in the washroom, retired to their beds.

As Louis lay sleepily in bed next to an already-snoring Zayn, he felt like the luckiest boy in the world. He had an amazing opportunity in front of him--getting to sing at _The X-Factor_ 's Judges' Houses--and after that afternoon's sing-along, he liked their chances. Even better, though, was that he truly felt like he had made four new best friends. It was truly the best summer ever.

* * *

Louis woke up early again the following morning--the clock read eight-ten--but unlike the day before, he found himself unable to go back to sleep. At around eight-thirty, he gave up and slipped out of bed carefully, so as not to wake Zayn. He used the washroom, then headed out toward the living room.

As he approached the living room, he heard voices. Liam's and Harry's voices, to be exact. He was just about to walk in and greet them when he heard Harry say, "Liam, can I ask you something?" Louis didn't want to interrupt what might be a private conversation, and he was about to retreat to his room to play with his mobile when he caught Harry's next sentence. "It's about Louis."

Louis couldn't help himself. Even as he told himself eavesdropping was wrong, he slotted himself into a spot just on the other side of the door where he would be able to listen in. He needed to know if he had anything resembling a chance for something more than friendship with Harry.

"Sure," Liam said amiably. "What's up?"

Louis thought he detected a hint of discomfort in Liam's voice--and who could blame him when this was the second day in a row he was having to listen to a new friend's confession--but Harry didn't seem to notice. "Can you keep this just between us?" Harry requested. "I know we're all just getting to know each other, and it isn't very fair of me to start asking you to keep secrets, but I really don't want this to go beyond you and me."

"Absolutely, mate," Liam assured him. "No problem."

Louis once again wondered if he should leave, let Harry talk with Liam privately, but he couldn't quite bring himself to move. He very much wanted to know what Harry was thinking, Louis told himself, so he would know how to proceed.

Harry cleared his throat before going on, his tone nervous as he explained, "My sister told me that Louis watches me like he likes me. As, you know, more than just a friend. She said she noticed it even in just the short time she was here yesterday, and that my mum had noticed it when we were in London for boot camp. She told me she just thought I should know. So, what I was wondering is…. Have you noticed what she's talking about?"

"Well, if he was," Liam posited, "what would you think about it? Do you like him as more than a friend, too?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I might," Harry answered softly. Louis could hear the small smile in his voice.

"I think he might, too," Liam told him.

"Really?" Harry sounded skeptical. "What makes you think so?"

"It's what your mum and sister said, the way he looks at you," Liam revealed. "But it's not just that. I don't know how to describe it. He lights up when you're nearby. I noticed that at boot camp."

Louis knew without having to look that Liam's words made Harry blush.

"You don't think it matters to him?" Harry asked quietly. "That I can't see?"

"Not one little bit," Liam replied without hesitation. "Just like the rest of us."

Harry didn't say anything else for a moment. Louis guessed he was probably thinking things though. He hoped Harry believed what Liam was saying. Finally, he wondered aloud, "So, what should I do?"

"Let him know you're interested," Liam suggested.

"But how? It's not like I can give him flirty looks," Harry said somewhat derisively. God, how Louis hated when Harry got down on himself. Liam had been right--it didn't matter to him that Harry was blind. He'd clearly have to work on convincing Harry of that fact.

"Well, there are plenty of other ways to let someone know you like them," Liam pointed out. "You'll just have to think of ways to show him with words and actions."

"I've never really tried this before," Harry admitted shyly. Louis was impressed Harry was willing to admit that to someone he didn't know all that well. It was a testament to how much Liam had inspired trust right from the start.

"I can help," Liam promised him, just as he'd done Louis. "I can make sure you guys end up next to each other when we're doing things. I can also get Zayn and Niall away sometime to give you and Louis a little alone time. We'll figure it out."

There was a pause, then Harry said, "You won't tell anyone, right?"

"I swear. It's just between you and me."

"Thanks," Harry told him with clear sincerity. He cleared his throat again. "So, do you want some more tea?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

Now that they were done talking about him, Louis quickly snuck back down the hall into his room. He would check his phone for a few minutes before going back out and pretending he'd just gotten up.

Fortunately, Zayn was still out like a light when he climbed onto the bed, phone in hand. Louis sat up with his pillows behind his back and checked his text messages, Facebook, and e-mail. It had been about ten minutes when he felt he could reasonably go back out to join Liam and Harry in the living room.

When he got to the living room, Harry was sitting on the love seat sipping at a mug of tea and Liam was channel surfing.

"Morning, guys," Louis greeted them brightly, coming around the love seat so he was standing in front of both of them.

"Morning, Louis," Liam returned, settling on a what appeared to be an old football game he'd found on the TV.

"Good morning, Louis," Harry said, smiling widely. "Did you sleep okay?"

"I did, thanks."

"Do you want tea?" Harry gestured toward the coffee table on which sat a tray with a kettle, some mugs, some teabags, sugar and cream. "It's still warm."

"That would be super," Louis said, lowering himself to his knees. He picked a red mug and prepared himself a cuppa. When he was done, he stood to go find a proper seat. Just like on the previous morning, it made sense to sit on the sofa, since it was bigger. But when Louis went to sit down in the same spot he'd taken the day before, Liam shook his head and pointed to the love seat, raising his eyebrows meaningfully.

Louis sent back a quizzical look and mouthed, "Really?"

Liam nodded firmly. "Go," he mouthed back.

"Did it just get quiet in here or are you two having some kind of silent conversation?" Harry's tone was joking, but Louis could sense a little hurt behind his words, as if this was something that had happened before, more than once.

"Sorry, just trying to get my tea just right," Louis lied.

"Okay," Harry allowed, though Louis wasn't completely sure he'd bought the lie. "But just so you know, those of us who are blind get kind of nervous and paranoid when they're in a room with people and those people suddenly get quiet."

"Duly noted," Louis said. He looked back at Liam.

Liam mouthed, "Go," again, jabbing a finger in the direction of the love seat one more time.

Louis squared his shoulders and went for it. "So, Harry, can I sit by you?"

Harry seemed a little perplexed by the question, but just shrugged and replied, "Sure." He sidled over just a little to make sure there was enough room.

The love seat was perfectly big enough for two people to fit comfortably, but Louis made sure to sit close enough to the middle that his knee ended up touching Harry's. Harry did not pull away. Louis smiled, said, "Thanks," and sipped at his tea.

After a moment, Louis inquired, "So, is there a plan for today?"

Liam and Harry simultaneously answered, "No."

"It's raining, isn't it?" Harry asked.

Louis checked out the window directly across from where he sat and noted that it was, indeed, raining out. "How could you tell?" he wanted to know.

"I can hear it against the patio door," Harry revealed. Then, with a huge grin, he added, "Also, my phone's weather app told me it was raining."

Louis chuckled. "I'm pretty sure that's cheating."

"You gotta do what you gotta do," was Harry's cheeky response.

"So, it's indoor activities today," Liam proclaimed.

"We can have a FIFA tournament!" Louis was instantly enthused by this idea.

"That would be fun," Harry agreed.

"And we can raid the game closet," Liam threw in his own suggestion. "I feel like we've only scratched the surface of what's in there."

"There's a whole cupboard full of movies, too," Harry put in.

"So, plenty to do," Louis concluded.

Liam tilted his mug to get the end of his tea. Before saying, "We just need to get Niall and Zayn up."

"I say we douse them with cold water," Louis proposed with a wicked grin.

"And I say that's the worst idea in the history of ever," an Irish lilt declared.

Louis craned his neck to see Niall sneaking into the room. "Morning, Niall."

"Morning."

Harry scooched to the edge of his seat to be able to reach in front of himself for the coffee table and then the teapot set right in the centre. "Tea's not very hot anymore. If you want some, Niall, I can heat some more water."

Niall moved to take the pot from Harry. "No, man, I can get it."

Harry smiled and leaned back into the love seat. "Great. Thanks."

By the time Niall returned with the now-steaming teapot, Zayn was stumbling into the room. "Morning, lads." He punctuated his sentence with a wide yawn. "What are we up to this rainy day?"

Louis handed the last unused mug to Zayn, who, along with Niall, immediately began to fix himself a cuppa. "We've thought of several options."

"Please don't say one of them is football in the rain," Zayn commented, taking a seat next to Liam on the couch. "You seem pretty hardcore, Louis, but I am not doing that."

Louis laughed. "No, that wasn't one of the things we thought of, although I have been known to play in the rain."

Niall carried his tea over to the cupboard by the TV and began rooting through the DVDs inside it. After a moment, he pulled one out and held it up triumphantly. " _Anchorman_! We have to watch this, boys. It's one of the best movies ever made."

It turned out none of the others had ever seen it, so Niall declared that he needed to remedy that directly, and he put the DVD in the player and settled down on the floor in front of the coffee table to watch.

The boys attempted to visually interpret the movie for Harry, but unfortunately, it wasn't a very easy movie to do that for. When this became obvious, they paused the DVD and offered to turn it off and find something else. Harry, however, told them it was fine. After they made him swear it was all right, they started it up again.

Instead of paying the least bit of attention to the movie, Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head back. As he dozed off, his head tilted to the side and landed on Louis' shoulder. Louis smiled and guided Harry's head to his lap as Harry curled up his legs to accommodate the new position.

Louis gave half of his attention to the movie. The other half he gave to Harry. Harry's head was warm where it rested on Louis' thigh. The younger boy's chestnut brown curls were too much to resist, and Louis found himself gently running his fingers through them for the entire rest of the movie. As he did so, he tried to decide the best way to let Harry know how he felt about him.

On the one hand, based on the conversation he had listened in on earlier that morning, he didn't have to worry that Harry might rebuff his advances. On the other, he had a feeling he would have to work hard to convince Harry that he truly liked him, blindness notwithstanding. And he had to do it all without some of his usual flirting techniques.

When the movie was over, Louis gently shook Harry awake so he could choose what they did next. "Since the movie wasn't the best choice for you," Niall explained.

Harry shrugged good-naturedly. "It's okay. Everything doesn't have to accommodate me."

"Well, we can try," Liam said pointedly. "So, what next?"

Harry's stomach rumbled, making the whole group laugh. "Maybe some lunch? Since we skipped breakfast."

"A fine idea," Niall approved.

While they scarfed down sandwiches, they prodded Harry to pick something to do. The other four refused to even state an opinion, insisting that it was Harry's choice, full stop. Finally, when, Louis suspected, Harry realised they weren't going to decide for him, Harry said he'd like to play with the PlayStation some more. He said that he thought he was getting better at FIFA each time they played. The others wholeheartedly agreed with both his assessment and his choice.

As they had both times before, Harry and Louis worked together as a team, taking on the others one at a time. With each match, their skills continued to improve. Louis got better at quickly conveying to Harry what he needed to do, while Harry got better at recognising what was going on by the sounds the game emitted. Together, they managed to beat both Zayn and Niall. They couldn't beat Liam, however, though they vowed to by the end of the week.

After their FIFA tournament, they decided they should have another singing session, practise their harmonies a little more. Niall happily got out his guitar and played more of the songs he knew. When one of the boys didn't know a song, the others took great joy in teaching it to him. By the end of their practise, Louis thought they sounded pretty good together, like a proper band. They all agreed that they wanted to prove to the judges that they had not made a mistake putting them together.

They were all a little tired after their singing, so they decided to relax and enjoy a movie, letting Harry pick. He chose _Love Actually_ , stating that they could enjoy a little Christmas in August. Also, he told them, it was one of his favourite movies, so they didn't need to keep up a commentary, since it was a film he already knew very well.

It was still raining when they were done with the movie, so they decided to play some poker until it was a decent time to eat dinner. This time, the chips ended up being pretty evenly divided between Harry and Niall. When they had played their fill, they went to the kitchen, where they agreed to have breakfast for dinner, frying eggs, bacon, and sausage. Harry remembered that it was his turn to clean up, since they hadn't eaten that morning and they had all cleaned up from lunch together. Louis offered to help.

"This has been a great vacation so far," Louis said, drying the plate Harry handed over. "Thanks again for thinking of the idea."

Harry smiled as he carefully washed a glass before passing it to Louis. "I'm having a good time, too."

"Hopefully it won't rain all day tomorrow as well."

"It would be nice to be outside again. Maybe we can try some more football," Harry opined.

Louis took the opportunity to offer a compliment. "You were really good when we played yesterday."

The blush which coloured Harry's cheeks was nothing less than adorable, and Louis promised himself he would try to recreate it as often as he could. "Thanks. It was a fun game."

There were still some dishes left to do, so Louis changed the subject, saying, "We sounded pretty good singing together, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Hopefully the judges will think so, too."

"I wonder when we'll find out where Judges' Houses will be." They hadn't yet been told where they were to go to sing, nor for which judge.

"I don't know. Hopefully soon. It would be good to be able to have some time to prepare."

"Do you think your mum will want to come with you?"

Harry visibly shuddered. "I hope not. I kind of want to go on my own."

"If you want, I can help convince her that the lads and I will make sure nothing happens to you," Louis offered.

"Normally, I would say no, but she may take better to the idea if I had proof that I wouldn't be completely left on my own."

"Then it's done. Before I leave, we can chat with her on the subject. Hammer her until she agrees."

Harry smiled and handed Louis the last plate before shutting off the water. Once Louis had dried it and put it back in its place, the two boys headed back into the living room where Liam, Niall, and Zayn were sitting watching _Top Gear_ on the television.

The minute they entered the room Liam sent Louis a significant look. Louis raised his eyebrows in question. Liam cleared his throat and said, "I noticed we're running low on soda."

Harry immediately replied, "I can call my mum and let her know."

"No," Liam countered. "I also noticed a little market up on the corner not very far from here. I can just walk up there and get some."

"Isn't it still raining?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Nope," Liam told him. "Stopped. Niall? Zayn? Want to come with me?" He very pointedly looked from Louis to Harry and back.

Louis held his breath, hoping Niall and Zayn got it. After a moment, Niall, thankfully, said, "Sure."

Louis was able to fully breathe again when Zayn added, "I'm in."

"Harry and I can hold down the fort here," Louis quickly put in before Harry had a chance to offer to go with them.

"Great! Let's go, boys." Liam rose from his seat, gesturing for Niall and Zayn to follow. "Any requests, Louis? Harry?"

"None from me," Louis answered.

Harry shook his head. "None, thanks."

"Okay, then. Ring if you think of anything," Liam bade them before leading Niall and Zayn out the door, leaving Harry and Louis all alone for the first time since the other boys arrived at the bungalow.

"Shall we sit?" Louis asked.

"Sure." Harry moved to the love seat, and Louis followed, sitting right next to him. "So, what now?"

"I saw a CD player over on the shelves," Louis said. "Shall I put something on?"

"Sounds good."

Louis got up and moved to the CD player which sat on the shelves on the wall opposite from the love seat. He rifled through the pile of CDs next to the player. "Any requests?" he asked Harry.

"Most of the CDs are Robin's, and he has pretty decent taste," Harry noted. "Anything's fine."

Louis found a CD by Boston and put it on. The strains of "More Than a Feeling" soon filled the room.

Harry was smiling when Louis returned to the love seat and reclaimed his spot. "Good choice."

The boys were both silent for a few moments, just listening to the music. When the second verse ended, Louis said, "I honestly can't remember a better vacation than this one."

"Really?" Harry sounded surprised. "Your parents never took you anywhere exciting?"

"Oh, they've taken me some fun places. We even took one memorable trip to Disney World when I was about ten."

"So, what makes this better than that?" Harry wanted to know.

"You," Louis stated, feeling bold, knowing he had to be bold just then.

The look on Harry's face was an interesting mix of confusion, pleasure, and scepticism. In a whisper, he repeated, "Me?"

"You," Louis confirmed. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

As a blush crept up his neck and headed toward his cheeks, Harry shook his head. "That can't be true."

"And yet, it is," Louis assured him. "I have never met anyone like you before. You're…amazing. You're kind, you're generous, you're talented."

"I'm blind," Harry reminded him unnecessarily, again derisive about his eyesight.

Louis reached out to put a firm hand on Harry's arm. "I couldn't care less. It doesn't matter."

"But--"

"But nothing," Louis interrupted whatever protest Harry was about to make. "I meant it when I told our mums that running into you was the best thing I've done all summer. I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't been hunting for that stupid playlist I'd made the night before."

Harry smiled softly, but Louis sensed that he wasn't completely convinced. Louis couldn't stand it any longer. He had to demonstrate how he was feeling with more than words. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to Harry's.

Harry pulled his head back in surprise, but Louis wasn't going to allow that. He lifted his hand from where it rested on Harry's arm and placed it on the back of Harry's neck, drawing their lips back together. This time, instead of pulling away, Harry kissed Louis back.

Harry's lips were soft, just as Louis had imagined. He tasted of the coffee they'd had with dinner and the chocolate ice cream they'd had for dessert. The kiss they shared was gentle, sweet, a promise of something more.

When they parted for breath, Harry whispered, "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, too."

Louis leaned in for one more kiss before sitting up once more, aware that their alone time had a clock on it. "The others will be back soon."

"Did you send them away?" Harry inquired curiously. "I mean, did you arrange to send them away?"

"No, that was Liam," Louis told him. "I may have had a conversation with him about how much I liked you."

"You did? Truly?"

"I did."

"I did, too," Harry admitted. "My sister said something that made me think you might feel the same way as me."

"Really?" Louis remembered at the last minute that he had to pretend he hadn't listened in on the conversation Harry and Liam had shared that morning.

Harry nodded. "Gemma told me she and my mum had both noticed you looking at me as if you might like me."

Louis reached out and took Harry's hand in his own. "I guess I wasn't quite as subtle as I hoped."

"Subtle enough I didn't notice," Harry responded with a grin.

Louis pulled pointedly on Harry's hand. "Ha ha. Very funny."

"Liam promised to help me out."

"Me, too. And I guess we can trust him," Louis pointed out. "He's as good as his word."

Both of them were silent for a few moments, just enjoying the music and each other's company. Eventually, Harry broke the silence. After clearing his throat nervously, he shyly said, "Can I ask you something weird?"

"Sure," Louis allowed amiably.

"Can I see what you look like?" 

When Harry held up his free hand, Louis got his meaning straight away. "You want to feel my face?"

Harry nodded, blushing. "If that's too weird, you can say no."

In response, Louis let go of Harry's hand only long enough to turn it around and grab it at the wrist. He took hold of Harry's other wrist the same way and then guided Harry's hands to his face.

Harry began his exploration at Louis' hairline, and he took a moment to feel a few strands between his fingers. Then he moved on to Louis' eyebrows and his eyes.

"What colour are they? Your hair and your eyes," Harry wondered aloud.

"My hair is brown--a little bit lighter than yours--and my eyes are blue."

Harry smiled and moved his fingers down across Louis' nose and over his cheeks. Harry's look of concentration as he traced the contours of Louis' face took Louis' breath away. He made sure to smile softly so when Harry's fingertips found his mouth, he would know just how content Louis was.

Finally, Harry ran his fingers gently along the edges of Louis' chin before dropping his hands back into his lap. "You're gorgeous," he told Louis. "Just like I knew you were. Thanks for letting me see."

"You’re gorgeous, too," Louis assured him before leaning over to offer Harry another kiss.

When they had momentarily--temporarily--had their fill, Harry asked, "So, now what?"

"Now we take things nice and slow. We have all the time in the world."

They used some of that time to just sit on the love seat holding hands, listening to the Boston CD, and sharing the occasional kiss until Liam, Zayn, and Niall came crashing back into the bungalow bearing soda, crisps, and chocolate.

Liam, being the first person in, spotted Louis and Harry's joined hands, and he grinned widely at Louis and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, Liam, we talked," Louis answered his question out loud. "I think we're on the same page, yeah, Harry?"

Harry was blushing furiously as he nodded.

Niall was in the midst of popping open a soda when he innocently chimed in, "What? What page? What's going on?"

Liam laughed and explained, "They like each other, mate."

A look of confusion passed over Niall's face. "We all like each other, don't we?"

Liam sighed with exasperation. "No, Niall. They like each other. As, you know, more than friends."

It took another second, but then Louis could practically see the light bulb go on over Niall's head. "Oh! Congrats!" he cheered. "Good on you."

"Zayn?" Louis asked carefully. "You cool with this?"

Zayn had just been thoughtfully watching the proceedings, but when asked, he nodded slowly. "Yeah. Cool."

And just like that, their dynamic shifted effortlessly.

"So, we still have the whole evening in front of us," Liam said. "What do you lads want to do with it?"

"If it's stopped raining for good, we could make a fire on the patio and just chill, get at least a little time outside," Harry suggested.

"Brilliant idea," Niall proclaimed. "I'll bring the drinks." He headed back toward the kitchen to drop off all but five of the sodas he was carrying.

"I'll bring the crisps," Zayn added, following Niall to put away most of the crisps in the bags he was toting.

"Let's save the chocolate for later," Liam proposed with a smile. "Meet you two outside?"

Louis and Harry nodded in unison. "I'll start the fire," Louis offered. "Do you know where Robin keeps everything, Harry?"

"Yeah. I'll show you." Harry rose, not letting go of Louis' hand. He led him out the French doors which opened onto the patio and over to a small outdoor cupboard. He did have to let Louis go to open the door. "There should be some wood, some lighter fluid, and some matches."

Louis bent down to peer into the storage space and found everything Harry had named. He pulled out three logs and walked them over to the raised fire pit in the middle of the patio, then returned for the lighter fluid and the matches. It was not long before a small fire was blazing, emitting warmth into the cool night air.

"There should be some folding chairs in the bigger shed over there," Harry told him, gesturing to a shed Louis had not previously noticed.

Louis went over and started pulling out the chairs. By this time, Liam, Niall, and Zayn had reappeared, and between them all, they got chairs set up in a circle around the fire. Louis and Harry pushed theirs close together, making the others smile and catcall. Harry and Louis blushed, but accepted the ribbing graciously.

"So, boys," Liam said, "I think we sounded pretty awesome this afternoon. I have a good feeling about Judges' Houses."

"What's it like?" Niall asked the only member of their little group who'd done this before.

"In a word, scary," Liam revealed. "Intense. But it was fun, too."

"Where did you get to go?" Harry inquired.

"Barbados. It was amazing. I hope we get to go someplace good."

"That would be wizard," Niall agreed. "And I'm all for someplace with a nice, sandy beach."

"Yeah, that would be cool," Zayn put in.

"We have to pick what we're going to sing," Louis pointed out.

"Is there a list we'll have to choose from?" Niall asked Liam.

"Yes, but we can have some ideas going in. The list was pretty long last time, so if we have some choices ahead of time, there's a good chance at least one of them will be on the list."

"Then I think each of us should think of at least one song we might sound really good doing," Louis advocated. "That way we can try them out while we're here."

The others all agreed to this.

Their conversation meandered here and there, stopping only briefly on a topic before moving on to another. It was late when Niall cheekily suggested they play a round of Truth or Dare. It turned out they had all played before except for Harry, though he did, at least, know the rules.

Niall said that since it was his idea, he'd go first.

"Okay," Liam took over. "Niall. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Niall replied, clapping his hands eagerly.

The other boys all contemplated what a good dare would be. Louis was the first one to go, "I've got one!"

"Go for it," Liam allowed.

"Niall, I dare you to run in a circle around our chairs here five times…naked." Louis cackled when he was done sharing his idea.

The others laughed, too, including Niall, who said, "Not even a challenge, man."

"Then get cracking," Louis commanded playfully.

Niall quickly stripped down to nothing, then began to run around the circle at a slow jog.

For Harry's benefit, Louis immediately started to narrate. "And the pasty white Irish lad begins his lap around the patio area. It's slow going right now; he's looking a little sluggish here at the start."

"Go, Niall!" Harry called gleefully.

"And the Irish lad picks up the pace!" Louis continued with fervor. "He waves to the crowd as he passes by. Now he's just showing off, running backwards."

"Run faster, Horan!" Liam urged.

"The start of lap number three," Louis kept up the commentary. "The boy from Ireland appears to be picking up speed, perhaps smelling victory. He flags a bit coming around the turn, but, yes! He seems to be rallying. Lap number four…. Lap number five.... The end is in sight! Horan raises his hands in the air as he crosses the finish line. It's a win!"

Niall walked around the circle eliciting high fives from every one of the other four boys (asking Harry for one when it was his turn), then he pulled back on his clothes and reclaimed his seat.

"Who's next?" Liam asked.

"I'll bite," Zayn offered.

"Truth or dare?" Liam asked.

Zayn only paused a moment before requesting. "Dare."

Once again, the other boys put their thinking caps on to try to think of a suitable dare. This time, it was Niall who piped up with, "I've got one!"

Zayn said, "Give it to me."

Niall grinned. "I dare you to put your hands as close to the fire as you can for as long as you can."

Zayn smirked. "That's not a dare. But I'll take it."

Dramatically, he stood and hiked up his sleeves. He moved right up the edge of the blazing fire in the middle of the circle. Then he held out his hands and slowly pressed them closer and closer until they were almost on top of the flames.

"Is he doing it?" Harry asked in the silence caused by Liam, Niall and Louis holding their collective breath.

"His hands are almost right in the fire," Louis answered. "Very impressive."

Zayn placed his palms so near the fire, it appeared they were touching it.

"It looks like his hands are on fire," Louis told Harry.

Harry sucked in a breath. "I could never do that."

"Me, neither," Louis confided.

Zayn left his hands where they were for another few moments, then when a spark popped off one of the logs onto his right hand, he yelped and yanked his hands away.

"And he's out," Louis concluded, keeping Harry in the loop even as he began a round of applause which the others eagerly joined in on. "Bravo, Zayn!"

As Zayn reclaimed his seat, he asked, "Who now?"

"I'll go," Liam said, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Truth or dare?" Zayn dutifully inquired.

Liam took a long moment to really think about it before he decided, "Dare."

"We are a brave bunch," Niall commented. "Go us!"

It was a long while before Zayn came up with an idea. "I know!"

Liam turned expectantly to Zayn. "Well?"

"I dare you to sing while standing on your head."

"Really?" Liam questioned him.

Zayn shrugged.

"Well, if no one has anything more…daring…." He paused and looked around at the others, but they did not come up with anything more. He sighed and returned his gaze to Zayn. "For how long?"

"A whole song," Zayn urged.

"Any song in particular?" Liam wanted to know.

Niall sniggered. "Like a Virgin."

"Madonna?" Liam switched his gaze to Niall. "Seriously?"

Zayn laughed. "That's better than anything I could have come up with. It's all about you, Liam."

"You should have chosen that song," Liam mumbled. Louis thought he might have been thinking about the McFly ballad that had been popular a few years back.

"What?" Niall wondered out loud, confused.

"Never mind. Okay, here goes." Liam pried himself out of his chair and walked over to the side of the house. "There's no rule that says I can't use the side of the house to stay up, is there?"

"Nope," Zayn allowed graciously.

Liam kicked himself into a handstand and rested his feet against the clapboard on the back of the house to keep himself steady. Once he was situated, he began to sing the Madonna classic. The other boys barely heard him struggle through remembering the words they were laughing so hard. By the end, they all joined in to help him finish. Blushing furiously, he rejoined the circle. Zayn clapped him on the shoulder as he sat.

"So, Louis and Harry, you're the only two left," Liam noted. "Who's going first?"

Louis waited to see what Harry would choose and, after a moment of thought, Harry shyly said, "I'll go."

Louis smiled. "Truth or dare, Styles?"

"Truth," Harry responded quickly, not needing to think on that one. "I'm not sure I'm up for a dare thought up by one of you."

"Truth it is." Louis reached out and patted Harry's hand. He tried to convey to the others with his eyes to go easy on the youngest of their group as he asked, "So, guys, any questions?"

There was a long pause while the boys tried to think of a good truth for Harry to reveal. Finally, Liam proclaimed, "I think I have one."

Where Louis' hand rested on Harry's hand, he felt Harry tense. Louis squeezed Harry's hand comfortingly.

"Okay," Harry said softly.

"When did you have your first kiss?" Liam threw out his query.

Louis instantly turned to look at Harry. Even in the firelight, he could see a telltale blush colour his cheeks.

"You can still take the dare," Louis inserted before Harry even had a chance to open his mouth.

"No, he can't!" Niall argued. "Rules are rules."

"The rules can be broken," Liam stated firmly. "You can change to a dare if you want, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm okay. What time is it?"

Liam looked down at his watch. "About half-nine."

"Less than two hours, then," Harry said vaguely.

"Two hours what?" Niall questioned.

"I had my first kiss less than two hours ago," Harry explained softly, shyly.

Louis couldn't help but gasp in surprise. "Really?" he whispered, getting in close to Harry's ear so he was the only one who could really hear.

Harry nodded and whispered back, "Really."

Louis was also powerless to stop himself from leaning in even closer and placing a small kiss on Harry's cheek. "I am honoured," he told him, his voice still pitched soft and low.

"Good on you, mate!" Niall crowed.

Liam grinned. "I'm glad you figured out a way to show how you feel."

Harry's face also split into a grin. "Me, too."

"All right, Louis," Liam turned to the final victim. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Louis replied. If Harry was brave enough, so was he.

As had become par for the course during this game, all the boys took a little time to think of something to present Louis with.

It was Harry who came up with something first. "I have a question," he announced timidly, as if unsure about adding something to the proceedings.

"All yours, Harry," Liam said graciously. "Hit him with it."

Harry cleared his throat and asked, "What did you really think when Simon and Nicole put us all into a group?"

Louis smiled. "Not really putting me on the spot with this one. I was so excited. I was really nervous about being on there solo. Being in a group is the greatest thing that could have happened to me. I think this is going to be a great ride, no matter how long it lasts."

"Aw, Louis, I'm totally with you on that one," Niall concurred.

"So, lads, round two?" Liam inquired eagerly, rubbing his hands together.

A chorus of "no"s went around the circle. Liam held up his hands in defeat. "Okay. Another time."

The next couple hours found the boys flitting from topic to topic, some of them serious, most of them not. Finally, when the fire started dying out when it was just past eleven, the boys started yawning and decided it was time for some sleep.

Zayn and Niall offered to take care of making sure the fire was out completely while the others went back inside. Instead of going to his own room after taking his turn in the washroom, Louis knocked on the door to Harry's room.

"Come in!" Harry called.

Louis opened the door, went inside the room, and carefully shut the door behind him. He turned to find Harry tying up his pyjama bottoms. He smiled at the sight of Harry's bare back.

"Hi," Louis said, letting Harry know who his visitor was.

Harry swiveled on his heels with a big smile. "Hi."

Louis walked over and took Harry's hands in his. "I wish I had insisted you share with me when we got here."

Harry blushed. "I thought you said we were going to take this slow."

Louis snapped his fingers. "You're right. I did. Probably just as well that we're not sharing a room, then. Would you object to a kiss, though?"

Harry shook his head and smiled. Thus given permission, Louis leaned forward and placed his lips over Harry's smile, taking the time to thoroughly explore his mouth.

When Harry's lips were properly swollen, Louis stopped for a breath, guiding Harry to sit next to him on the edge of his bed.

"So," Louis said quietly, "I was really your first kiss?"

The blush which had only just dissipated returned in a rush to Harry's cheeks. "Yes. Lame, huh?"

"No, not lame at all," Louis assured him. "I meant what I said outside. I am honoured that I got to be the first."

Harry smiled sweetly, dimples popping in his cheeks.

"I should get to bed," Louis said regretfully.

Harry nodded before unerringly reaching up to put one hand on each side of Louis' face and pulling him in for a final kiss. "Good night, Louis."

"Sleep well, Harry."

With reluctance, then, Louis rose from the bed and left Harry's room. As he slipped into bed next to Zayn, though, he felt happier than he'd felt in a long time. Harry was his, and he was Harry's. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

Upon waking the following morning, it took Louis just a split second to remember the events of the previous day. He couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. He and Harry had confessed their mutual feelings for each other. Life was good.

The trusty clock at his bedside told him it was just after nine in the morning. He decided that he did not just want to get up and wait for Harry to be awake. He wanted to be with him when he woke up. Louis quickly ran through his washroom routine, then eased open the door to Harry's room.

Harry was still sound asleep. He lay on his side, knees tucked up to his chest, face buried in his pillow. His curls were splayed every which way and little snores escaped his lips. Louis thought the whole picture was just wildly adorable. He sat down on the edge of the bed, the bottom of his spine lightly pressed against Harry's knees. He reached out to gently pull on one of Harry's curls, smiling when it bounced back into place when he let it go. He already knew that game was never going to get old.

He just sat there for a moment, content to listen to Harry's deep breathing and soft snores and watch his face, so calm and serene in sleep. Eventually, though, he couldn't just watch anymore. Crooking his finger, he rubbed it tenderly on Harry's warm, soft cheek. Harry just burrowed further into his duvet, pulling it up tight under his chin. Louis moved his hand from Harry's face to the top of his head, carding his fingers gently through the unruly curls. It took a moment, but Harry moaned under the touch and began to stretch, first his shoulders, then his arms. He snaked a hand out to grab the hand Louis had in his hair. He smiled as Louis twined their hands together. 

"Good morning, Louis," he said in a voice rough with sleep, his eyes finally blinking open, though, of course, they did not focus on anything. Louis was still overwhelmed by how green they were, how beautiful despite not working properly.

"Good morning, sunshine." Leaning over, he gave Harry a soft kiss, thrilled he was able to do so.

"What time's it?"

"Just after nine. I didn't want to be awake without you."

Harry grinned. "I think you're incorrigible."

"Then this vacation has been a success--you already know me so well," he responded cheekily.

Harry let go of Louis' hand in order to raise himself to a seated position. "Is anyone else up?"

"I didn't check. Not Zayn, though. He was still passed out when I got up."

"Is it sunny out?"

Louis got up briefly to peek through the closed curtains. "Yep. Certainly is."

"Yay!" Harry cheered quietly. "It would have sucked to spend another day indoors."

"So, why don't we get dressed so we can start enjoying it?" Louis suggested. 

Harry nodded before kicking Louis off his bed. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Louis couldn't wait.

* * *

The next four days passed in a blur of football matches, FIFA showdowns, sing-alongs, poker and Scrabble games, and movie marathons. By the time they rose on the day they were leaving, they all felt like they had really bonded with each other. They had shared secrets, hopes, worries, and dreams with each other, and they all believed they were more than ready to kick some serious ass at Judges' Houses. They were extra excited about the trip because just the night before they had learned that they would be traveling to Marbella, Spain, to perform for Simon Cowell himself.

As had become their habit since they'd declared their feelings for each other, Louis and Harry spent the first part of their day outside on the patio. They would sit side by side in a pair of folding chairs, enjoying a little private time together before joining the others for whatever the day had to offer.

Louis had taken to holding Harry's hand tight during these moments, to make up for the fact that he couldn't let Harry know with a look how happy he was they were together.

Harry was quiet this morning. He wasn't, Louis had discovered, as talkative as Louis himself tended to be, but this quiet was unusual, even for Harry.

"What's up, Harry?" Louis asked, squeezing Harry's hand gently. "Is something wrong?"

Harry shot him a smile, but it was a weak one. "It's nothing."

"It's not," Louis countered. "Tell me."

Harry sighed, shaking his head sadly. "I've been thinking about Judges' Houses ever since we heard about Spain. I just don't know that there's any way that my mum is going to let me go on my own," he explained what was bothering him.

Now Harry mentioned it, Louis remembered the conversation he and Harry had had on this topic the day they'd gotten together. "You really don't think so?"

"She didn't let me go to London by myself, and that's still in the same country," Harry said wryly. "I cannot even imagine that she'd consider letting me go to a foreign country on my own."

"Would it be so bad if she was there?"

"Probably not," Harry allowed. "But I really want to do this by myself, just like you guys." They had been told that since they were all over sixteen, they did not need a guardian to travel to Spain with them.

Louis didn't even hesitate when he told him, "I meant what I said the other day. I can talk to her with you. Assure her I'll be right there. No need for her to come. Do you think that would do it?"

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea. Might work, might not. She does love you, so that helps."

"Then we'll try that," Louis declared. "Once the others are gone, you and I can have a sit down with your mum."

Harry gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"Do you want to tell her we're seeing each other--so to speak--at the same time?"

Harry chuckled at Louis' choice of words, but said, "I'm not sure that would make her feel better about letting me go to Spain under your care."

"Good point."

"I'll tell her about that later," Harry promised.

"Okay. We'll convince her to let you go alone with your new best friend."

"I hope we can." Harry's voice was still tinged with worry, but Louis knew he wasn't going to be able to change that. Not right now. He could, however, distract him, leaning over to give him a sweet morning kiss. Harry returned it with enthusiasm.

A few minutes--and many kisses--later, they retreated back inside to the kitchen to get out the things they would need for breakfast. They pulled out the cereal, the bread, and milk, and put water in the kettle to boil.

Not long after they had everything out, Liam and Niall stumbled into the kitchen simultaneously.

"Morning, lads," Louis greeted them from the seat he'd claimed at the table.

"Morning," Liam and Niall chorused.

"Water's almost ready," Harry told them. "Want some breakfast?"

"Sure," Niall answered eagerly, always ready for food. He headed right for the nearest box of cereal and a bowl.

Liam made for the loaf of bread. "How many pieces of toast should I make?"

Louis shrugged. "Start with five?"

"I'm on it," Liam assured him.

"I'll go get Zayn," Louis stated, handing Harry the hot pad for the kettle.

Zayn proved to be his usual difficult-to-wake-up self, but Louis eventually got the job done and returned to the kitchen, joining the others at the table with his own bowl of cereal. Zayn appeared a few minutes later and together they all worked on finishing off all the breakfast cereal left in the bungalow. "No sense in it going bad," Niall reasoned.

"What time's your flight, Niall?" Louis asked.

"Two. Liam and Zayn and I will share a taxi to the airport. They'll drop me, then go to the train station. Right, boys?"

"Yep," Zayn agreed through a bite of food.

"We have just enough time to help put the house back together before we go," Liam commented.

They fixed up the kitchen first, making sure everything was clean and put away properly. Then they each went to pack up their things, dumping all their bags by the front door. Finally, they divided the areas of the house between then to clean. Liam took the washroom, Zayn checked the bedrooms, Niall gave all the outdoor areas they'd used the once over, and Louis and Harry tidied up the living area. Once the house was back in order, they all congregated in the living area for the last moments of their shared vacation.

"This was awesome," Niall enthused. "Thanks again, Harry, for thinking of it."

Harry grinned widely. "I'm glad I did. It's been a great week."

"Everyone needs to rest up in the few weeks we have between now and Judges' Houses," Liam commanded. "We'll need to arrive ready to make it through."

The others all nodded soberly, determined that they would make it to the live shows.

Liam looked down at his watch. "We should call for the taxi." When Niall and Zayn nodded, Liam pulled out his phone and did just that.

They chatted about nothing in particular until Robin knocked at the front door before letting himself in. "Boys! Your taxi's here."

The boys all stood. Without even thinking about it, they grabbed each other in a fierce group hug before moving to get their bags.

"Harry," Robin went on. "Your mum's up at the house. Louis' mum called and asked if we could drive him back. She'll take you when you're ready."

"Great," Harry told him. "Thanks."

"Do you guys need any help with your things?" Robin asked.

All of them replied in the negative and, shouldering their own bags, followed Robin back up to the main house, Louis, as usual, guiding Harry.

They went around the side of the house to the front, where a taxi sat idling in the driveway next to Anne's car.

The boys all exchanged hugs, promising they'd see each other in Spain in just a few weeks, then Niall, Liam, and Zayn piled into the taxi, leaving Harry and Louis to go back into the main house where Robin and Anne awaited them.

Once they were inside, bags just inside the door until they were ready to go, Louis whispered to Harry, "Why don't we talk to her about Spain now? Get it done."

Harry swallowed nervously, but nodded. "Mum!" he called out.

"In the kitchen!" she called back.

Harry led the way to the kitchen, Louis trailing behind. When they arrived in the doorway, Harry asked, "Mum? Can Louis and I talk to you?"

"Sure, baby," she responded brightly. "We're at the table."

Harry walked over and found a seat which Louis assumed was probably his usual seat at this table. Louis sat down right next to him.

Harry looked like he was about to throw up. He was pale, and he was licking his lips as if his mouth were dry.

Louis looked from Harry to Anne, who met Louis' gaze and raised her eyebrows in concern. Louis cleared his throat and opened the conversation. "We found out where we'll be going for Judges' Houses."

"Oh?" Anne said, clearly interested.

"Marbella, Spain," Louis told her. "It's apparently right on the coast."

"Wow. That'll be lovely," she noted.

"Mum?" Harry nervously joined in the dialogue.

"What is it? Are you nervous about going so far away? It'll be great. I haven't been to Spain in ages."

"That's just the thing, Mum. I want to go by myself."

The look of surprise on Anne's face was something Louis had expected. Also as he had expected, she told Harry, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Mum, I'll be fine. Louis and I can fly together, and once we're there, the other lads will be there. I'll have plenty of help." Harry offered up all his arguments, then audibly held his breath.

"I don't know, Harry. You've never really gone anywhere that far away on your own," she pointed out. "Are you sure? I promise I would stay out of the way. I wouldn't interfere with you and the boys."

"I know you would try not to interfere. But, Mum, nobody else will have their mother there," Harry explained. "The _X-Factor_ staff said that because we're all sixteen or older, we don't need guardians."

"Well, nobody else going is blind," Anne said, though she softened her words with a gentle tone.

Harry sighed, clearly exasperated. Louis was hesitant to step into the middle of this, but he'd promised Harry he'd try. So he pulled in a deep breath and said, "I swear I wouldn't let anything happen to him. I can fly over on the same flight, and we can share a room. I can act as his guide and help with anything he might need help with."

The look on Anne's face was sceptical. She looked like she was about to protest further when an unexpected ally stepped in. Robin grinned at the boys and said, "Anne, he's sixteen, not a baby. He traveled all the way to London by himself, and he's still in one piece. Louis helped him all throughout boot camp. He'll be fine. Let him go."

Harry and Louis both smiled gratefully in Robin's direction. Louis looked again to Anne to see what her verdict would be.

It took her a moment, but she finally said, "Okay. I know when I'm outnumbered."

Harry immediately got out of his seat and worked his way around the table to give his mother a hug. "Thanks, Mum," Louis heard him whisper. When Anne let him go, Harry went to Robin next and hugged him, too, giving more whispered thanks.

"All right, then, boys, shall we hit the road?" Anne asked. Looking at Louis, she added, "I told your mum I'd have you home in the afternoon."

"Sure," Louis said, rising from his seat.

Robin walked them through the house to the front door, and before picking up his bag, Louis reached out to shake Robin's hand. "Thank you so much for letting us use the bungalow this week. We had a fantastic time."

"Any time," Robin told him.

During the trip from Holmes Chapel to Doncaster, Harry and Louis filled Anne in on all they had done during the week, including that they'd decided to call themselves One Direction. She agreed that it was the perfect name for them, and Louis was sure to give Harry credit for the idea.

Once they arrived in Doncaster, Louis leaned in between the two front seats and gave directions to his house. In way too short a time, Anne was pulling into his driveway.

Not ready to say goodbye yet, Louis invited them in to say hi to his mum, maybe have a cup of tea. Anne said they couldn't stay long, but they could at least have some tea before heading back home.

Harry took Louis' arm and let him lead the way up to his house, Anne following closely behind. Jay met them at the door, throwing her arms first around Louis, then around Harry and Anne.

"Please tell me you'll stay for some tea," Jay implored.

"Louis already sold us on the idea," Anne replied.

"Excellent. Come on back to the kitchen," Jay invited them.

As Anne followed Jay, Louis carefully guided Harry through the house to the back, where the kitchen was located. As they went, he explained that they were walking first through the living room, then the dining room before entering the kitchen. Once there, Louis led Harry to a chair usually occupied by one of his sisters.

Which reminded him…. "Where are the girls?" he asked his mum.

"They all went shopping with a friend of Lottie's," Jay said. "They won't be back for a while."

"Guess you'll have to meet them next time," Louis told Harry.

"Something to look forward to," Harry said with a smile.

Jay put mugs in front of all of them, and Louis made sure to get the milk and sugar to Harry right away so he could fix his tea just the way he wanted.

While they sipped at their tea, the boys gave Jay the same rundown they'd given Anne in the car. She, too, loved the name One Direction, and she said she couldn't wait until she got to hear them sing all together. Louis told her he thought they sounded amazing, if he did say so himself.

The boys finished with their tea first, and Louis said he wanted to show Harry his room before he and Anne left. The look his mother gave him telegraphed that she thought it was odd to request to show a blind boy his room, but Harry smiled and said he'd love to go with Louis. Louis silently gave a prayer of thanks because he wanted some privacy to say goodbye.

Louis guided Harry up the stairs to the first room on the left. "It's small, but it's mine. Lottie and Fizzy have to share, and the twins have to share."

"Good to be the only boy," Harry commented.

"It's painted blue, and I have a double bed on the far wall. A desk is in the left corner, and my dresser's in the other," Louis described. "It's not as messy as it usually is because I cleaned up a little when I was packing to come to yours."

Harry smiled. "It sounds lovely."

"Come on, let's sit." Louis tugged Harry to the bed, and they both sat on the end of it. Once they were settled, Louis confessed, "I am going to miss you so much."

Harry held out his hands, and Louis put his inside them. "I'm going to miss you, too."

"At least we can call and text."

"Every day, yeah?" Harry confirmed.

"Every day. And in just a few weeks, Spain!"

"I can't wait. Thanks again for helping with Mum. I can't believe she's letting me go on my own." His smile at the thought stretched from ear to ear, causing his dimples to pop.

"We are going to have the best time."

"And we're going to kick ass," Harry added.

"Harry!" Anne's voice drifted up the stairs. "I'm ready to go!"

"Damn, she's fast," Harry sighed.

Louis extracted one of his hands from Harry's grip and snaked it behind Harry's neck, using the leverage to pull Harry in for a kiss. They kissed until Louis' mother's voice was the one drifting up the stairs. "Louis! Come on back down! Harry's mum is ready to leave."

With great reluctance, the boys separated, and Louis guided Harry carefully back downstairs.

Jay offered Harry a hug goodbye, then Louis followed suit, whispering, "Miss you already," into Harry's ear. When he let Harry go, he hugged Anne, then looked on as Harry took Anne's arm so she could lead the way to the car. Already he felt like that was his job, not hers.

Though his mother retreated to the kitchen, Louis stood in the doorway and watched the Styleses' car as it drove away, not closing the door until it was completely gone from view.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judges' Houses, Part 1 (of 2).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued thanks for the hits, kudos, and comments. I truly appreciate each and every one!

Louis knew he was practically vibrating with excitement despite the early hour. His mother kept turning to look at him for a second before giving her attention back to the road. She smiled every time she did it.

The day had finally arrived. His mum was driving him to Holmes Chapel, then Harry's mum would take them to the airport in Manchester for their flight to Malaga, Spain, via a stop at Heathrow in London, where they would be meeting up with the other boys for the second leg of the trip. It was time for One Direction to rock Judges' Houses.

"You nervous about your performance for Simon?" his mum asked, interrupting his thoughts of _X-Factor_ domination.

"A little," Louis admitted. They had yet to decide on a song, and they needed it to be amazing. Their work would be cut out for them when they all arrived.

"You nervous about being responsible for Harry?" Jay went on.

"A little."

"It's a great thing you're doing," she told him. "I'm sure it means a lot to Harry to be able to go on his own like the rest of you."

Louis nodded. "I know it does."

"I want you to keep something in mind, though. This isn't like when you helped him out at Wembley, when his mum was in the building. He's going to be counting on you. You need to keep the antics to a minimum."

"I know, Mum," Louis replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to let anything happen to him."

She sent him the side-eye. "Louis, is there something going on between you and Harry? Something beyond you being friends?"

Louis sighed. He had been trying--without any success--to find just the right time and just the right way to tell his mother both that he was gay and that he and Harry were involved and becoming more so by the day. Since parting a few weeks prior, they had texted and called each other constantly. Also, Harry's sister Gemma had kindly helped Harry to set up Skype, so he'd even gotten to see Harry a few times, even if Harry didn’t quite get the point. Louis was actually surprised it had taken his mum so long to ask about what was going on.

"Louis?" Jay prompted gently. "Is there?"

Louis pulled in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Finally, he confessed, "Yes. We're, um, seeing each other. So to speak."

His mother removed one hand from the steering wheel and placed it on Louis' thigh. "I think I've known you were gay for a long time. That is right, yes? Gay, not bisexual?"

"Right," Louis assured her.

"I suspected something was going on between you two back at boot camp," she told him.

"I wanted there to be back then," Louis revealed. "But nothing happened until we were at the bungalow."

"Well, I think you make a gorgeous couple." She smiled widely, moving her hand back to the wheel. "Does Anne know?"

Louis nodded. "She kind of figured it out, too, and asked him about it last week."

"I'm always late to the party!" she joked.

"Better late than never?" Louis joked back. He became serious again to tell her, "I would never, ever let anything happen to Harry. I promise."

"I believe you."

Louis was incredibly relieved that his mother seemed to be totally cool with him announcing that he's gay. Apparently, all his worrying about what to say had been for naught.

Louis spent the rest of the drive messing with the radio and good-naturedly arguing with his mum about what the best movie ever was. Finally, they pulled into the Styleses' drive. A huge grin broke out on Louis' face when he saw Harry sitting and waiting on the front stoop. He'd texted him about ten minutes earlier, to let him know they were close.

As he climbed out of the car, Louis yelled, "Harry!"

Harry's face was similarly taken over with a grin when he heard Louis call his name. He stood just in time for Louis to throw himself at him. As Louis wrapped his arms around Harry, Harry did the same.

Only the sound of Louis' mother clearing her throat behind them forced them apart.

"Hi, Harry," Jay greeted him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "How are you doing?"

Harry smiled, bringing his dimples out to play. "I'm good now. How are you?"

"I'm great. Louis, you need to go get your suitcase," she reminded him.

"Right," he said. He squeezed Harry's hand. "I'll be right back."

Harry nodded before Louis sprinted back to the car and hauled his suitcase from the boot, dragging it back up the path. When he got there, he heard Harry saying to his mum, "I'm excited about getting to go to Spain. I've only been out of England once before."

"Oh? Where did you go?" Jay inquired.

"To Paris when I was twelve," Harry told her.

"I'm back," Louis announced.

"Come on in," Harry offered, turning around and opening the door. He went through and held the door open for Jay and Louis to pass through. Louis left his suitcase just inside the door, taking that from Harry to shut it.

"My mum's in the kitchen, baking," Harry revealed. In a conspiratorial whisper, he said, "She bakes when she's nervous."

Jay chuckled. "I do that, too."

Harry led the way back to the kitchen. When they got there, he proclaimed, "Mum, Louis and his mum are here."

Anne was in the midst of cutting out circular cookies and putting them onto a baking sheet. She looked up to say, "Hi there. Sorry. I'm just stress cooking."

"Hi," Jay and Louis said at the same time, laughing as they did so.

"I do the same thing," Jay told Anne. "It's not every day we send our boys to Spain to sing for Simon Cowell."

"What time do we need to leave, Mum?" Harry asked.

She paused to consult the clock hanging on the opposite wall. "In about a half an hour?"

"Louis can help me finish packing, then," Harry said brightly, already reaching for Louis' hand to tug him in the direction of the stairs.

Louis allowed himself to be dragged once again up to Harry's room, where it looked like a tiny explosion had gone off. There was a suitcase in the middle of the bed, clothes strewn all around it.

Louis whistled. "I thought 'packing' was a euphemism. But you weren't kidding about needing help."

Harry frowned. "No teasing. I couldn't decide what to take."

Louis smiled and kissed Harry's cheek. "Let's see what you've got." He let go off Harry's hand to walk over and survey the contents of the case. "You've only got a couple shirts and some pants here. You're going to need more than that."

"I couldn't decide between shorts and jeans," Harry explained with a grimace. "What did you pack?"

"Both."

"Then I guess I can do the same." He walked to the bed and found a pile of shorts set in one corner. He felt for the tag on the back. 

Louis looked closer and he could see a small tag attached to the one the shorts came with. "What's that?" he asked, curious.

"Oh, I have tags attached to everything to tell me what colour they are and if they're striped or solid or whatnot," Harry told him. "I'm not the best at matching all the time, but I try."

"You always look great," Louis complimented him.

Harry blushed and accepted Louis' words with a soft, "Thank you." Then he found four pairs of shorts--one khaki, one brown, one black, one blue--and passed them to Louis to put in the suitcase. Once those were sorted, he plucked two pairs of jeans from a nearby pile and had Louis pack those, too, along with a couple scarves and a couple beanies. Finally, Harry picked out a couple more t-shirts to add to the collection.

"It looks like you're almost set. Your toilet kit is already here. You just need some shoes," Louis advised.

Harry moved first to the closet, then to his chest of drawers, and brought back a few pairs of socks and shoes, which he slotted in where there was room. He backed up when he was done. "Am I forgetting anything?"

Louis checked over everything they'd just packed. "Maybe just some swim trunks, since we'll be near the beach, then I think you're good."

"Right." Harry retrieved some swim trunks from one of his drawers, then zipped the bag closed before lifting it off the bed. "Thanks for helping."

"No problem."

Now they were finished with the necessary chore, Louis pulled Harry down to sit on the edge of the bed so they could trade the kisses they'd been deprived of since parting earlier in the month. Louis had never missed anything more. They had not been locking lips for long, however, when Anne's voice called up the stairs, "Harry! It's time to go!"

Reluctantly, the boys groaned and parted. Louis let Harry leave the room first, biting back the instinct to ask to take the suitcase even though Harry seemed to be doing just fine with it, holding it in his left hand while guiding himself with his right.

Anne and Jay were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for the boys. "All set?" Anne asked.

Harry nodded.

"Then let's get this show on the road before I change my mind about letting you go," Anne joked.

Louis went to get his own bag while Harry retrieved his cane from the hook by the door. Louis carried his case out first, followed by Harry with his, then Jay, and Anne. They stowed the suitcases in the boot of Anne's car before bidding Jay goodbye.

She hugged Harry first, wishing him luck. Then she pulled Louis into her arms. "Good luck, Boo. You're going to do great. I just know it."

"Thanks, Mum."

"Call me, okay?" she said, still holding him close.

"I will. I promise."

It was with clear reluctance that she finally let him go, but let him go she did, and he clambered into the back seat of Anne's car, butterflies of happy nervousness crowding in his stomach.

Jay backed out of the drive first, then they were on their way to the airport.

They chatted idly about nothing in particular as they headed north toward Manchester. Harry fiddled nervously with the radio, while Anne asked Louis getting-to-know-you questions like what he'd liked studying at school, what sports he played, how he got started singing. Louis was happy for the distraction from his anxiety, and from the cant of Harry's head, Louis assumed Harry was listening with interest to his responses.

As they drove into the airport complex, Harry tried to convince Anne to just drop them at the Departures kerb. Anne steadfastly refused, though, and parked in short term parking. Louis got their suitcases out and took charge of them while Anne took charge of guiding Harry.

They walked through the car park and into the main part of the terminal. They easily found the check-in counter and, after showing their passports, collected their boarding passes. It was time to head toward security, and that was where Anne would have to leave them.

As they started toward the signed security area, Anne stopped in her tracks, causing Harry to have to stop moving. Louis stopped pulling the suitcases to see what the problem was. Anne declared, "Harry, I need to talk to Louis."

Harry heaved a deep sigh. "Mum. No, you don't. We need to go through security, and you need to leave."

"I'm sorry, baby, but I really need to talk to him. Alone."

Louis looked uncomfortably from Anne to Harry, then back. He didn't know exactly what to do, so, lacking any ideas, he just waited.

"Is there anything I can say to keep you from doing that?" Harry asked her wearily, as if he already knew the answer, but had to try.

"No," she told him succinctly.

"Fine," he returned, though his tone indicated that it was anything but. "I'll just wait here with the bags like a good little boy."

Anne kissed his cheek, then gestured for Louis to follow her. "We'll be right back," she told Harry.

Before following her, Louis leaned in close to Harry's ear to whisper, "It's okay. I've got everything under control." He pressed a stealthy kiss to Harry's cheek, causing Harry to both blush and smile, before tagging along after Anne.

Anne led the way to a bank of chairs not far from where Harry stood with the luggage, but far enough away that Harry would be able to hear. She sat down and patted the adjacent chair for Louis to take.

Anne glanced over at her son with a fond look on her face before saying, "He's going to be really mad at me for talking to you, but I don't really care." The sour look on Harry's face when Louis took his own glance was evidence enough that Anne was not wrong about Harry's current demeanor.

"Okay," Louis said neutrally.

"He's really excited about going to Spain," she began. "I'm not sure he ever thought his singing would get him this far."

"Me, neither," Louis added.

"But he's never gone this far away from home by himself before. As excited as I know he is, I also know he's pretty nervous. Not just about the singing part, but about the being away from home part. I know he's sixteen and plenty old enough to be traveling by himself, but him being blind can complicate things."

Louis nodded to let her know he was keeping up with her.

"Like I told you at boot camp, he's sometimes not so great about asking for help, so I just want you to make sure you're paying attention to him. Really paying attention." She raised her eyebrows in question, silently asking if he understood.

Louis nodded again. "I will. I promise. I won't let anything happen to him."

"I believe you," she assured him. She went on to say, "He told me you two were…more than friends now."

Louis instantly felt warmth creep up his cheeks. "Yes," he admitted. "I really, really like him a lot."

Anne smiled softly. "He feels the same way. And I couldn't be happier. I know you'll be good to him."

"I am certainly going to try my best," Louis confirmed. "I want him to be happy."

"Then we want the same thing," she told him.

Louis looked back over at Harry. He'd taken his cane from his back pocket and stretched it out, and was playing with the strap. The look on his face said he was both bored and angry. "Maybe we should get going?" Louis suggested to Anne.

When Anne's gaze landed on her son, she agreed, "I think that's a good idea. Before he explodes." 

Louis chuckled.

When they stood, Anne threw her arms around Louis. "Thank you."

He squeezed her back. When they parted, he replied, "No, thank you. I know it means so much to him that you're trusting me and letting him go on his own, and it means a lot to me, too."

"Don't hesitate to call or text me if you boys need anything or if you have any questions about how to handle something with Harry," she urged.

"I won't."

Finally, they headed back to where Harry stood.

"We're back, Harry," Anne alerted him, reaching out to touch his hand, which he immediately snatched away.

"Have a nice conversation about me?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, honey. I just needed to let Louis know that I'm trusting him with the most precious thing I have."

The slightly murderous expression Harry wore softened a little at her words.

"We need to get through security," Louis interjected. "We don't want to be late."

Anne nodded. "Harry, don't be mad at me. I just want to make sure everything goes the best it can in Spain."

Harry sighed. "I know."

"Now hug me goodbye and go have a fabulous time," she commanded.

Harry reached out his arms, and Anne took him into hers. She whispered something Louis couldn't quite catch in his ear, but it made Harry smile, and something eased in Louis' stomach.

When they separated, Anne leaned over and kissed her son's cheek before saying to Louis, "He's all yours."

Louis grinned. "Yay!"

Harry folded his cane and slipped it back into his back pocket before grabbing hold of his suitcase. Louis got a hold of his own bag, then offered his elbow to Harry. "Bye, Mum."

"Bye, boys. Have a good time. Call me, okay?" Anne implored.

"Okay," Harry agreed. "I love you."

Louis caught a glimpse of a tear in the corner of Anne's eye as she said, "I love you, too." He knew it took a great deal of strength for her to turn around then and leave her son with Louis, but leave him she did.

"C'mon, Harry, let's go." Louis gently tugged him in the direction of the line for security. "The line's not too long. We might even have time to grab something to eat."

Harry was quiet as they got in line for security, clearly still stinging from his mum having pulled Louis to the side for their private conversation. Louis took charge of their boarding passes and passports, ready to show them to the guard stationed right before the line split up in front of the x-ray machines. When they made it through that checkpoint, Louis picked the nearest line for an x-ray machine.

When it was time, Louis threw both of their cases onto the conveyor belt, then told Harry to take off his shoes. He put his and Harry's trainers in a bin before awaiting the go ahead to walk through the scanner.

"I can't walk through with you," Louis told Harry. "Do you know if you can you use your cane? Should I ask?"

Harry shook his head. "It has to go through the x-ray machine." He pulled it from his pocket for Louis to throw in with their trainers.

When the security guard gave the okay, Louis positioned Harry right in front of the scanner, then directed him to walk straight forward. Holding his hands in front of himself protectively, Harry made it through with no problem. Louis followed immediately after.

They collected their things from the bins that had been x-rayed, and Louis guided them to the side to slip their shoes back on before checking the time.

"We have almost an hour before our flight," he told Harry. "You hungry?"

Harry shook his head as he stowed his cane once again in the back pocket of his shorts. "But if you're hungry, let's go find you something."

The boys made their way into the main part of the terminal, and it didn't take Louis long to spot a Burger King. Harry maintained that he wasn't hungry, but would try some chips and a soda. When they'd ordered and received their food, Louis found them a table at which to eat.

As Louis dug into his burger and Harry picked at his chips, Harry softly inquired, "Can I ask you what my mum wanted to talk to you about?"

Louis smiled. "She just wanted me to know that she was trusting me to make sure you get to and from Spain unscathed."

Harry snickered. "That is not how she put it."

"You're right. It wasn't," Louis admitted. "But that was the gist of it."

"Not really the point, though." Harry sighed.

"What's the point?"

"She wouldn't have asked to speak to you in private if I wasn't blind. If I wasn't…different." Harry's tone was bitter, something Louis had never heard before, but he wasn't really surprised. He supposed he'd be bitter, too, on occasion, if he were in Harry's shoes.

"Being different isn't a bad thing," Louis countered.

"No, of course it isn't," Harry concurred. "If being different means you wear quirky clothes or like some indie band that no one else likes. Those things are cool. Being blind is most definitely not cool."

Louis pondered Harry's words for a moment, chewing on his burger as he did so. Finally, he asked, "Can you change it?"

Harry was in the middle of actually eating a chip when his face scrunched up in confusion at Louis' question. "Sorry, what?"

"Can you change that you're blind?" He forced himself to use the same term Harry did, though his instinct was to soft pedal it when Harry was feeling vulnerable.

"Of course not," Harry answered, still clearly not getting Louis' meaning just yet.

"Then it doesn't matter. It is what it is, yeah?"

Harry gave a small smile of acknowledgment. "Yeah, it is."

"You can't change that, and you can't change your mum. Just go with it," Louis suggested. "You know I meant it when I said it doesn't matter to me that you're blind, right?"

"I hope it doesn't."

"It doesn't," Louis told him definitively. "I meant what I said back when we got together at the bungalow. I think you're amazing just the way you are."

Harry blushed at Louis' praise. "Thank you. I kinda think you're amazing, too."

Louis glanced at his watch. "You done with your chips? We need to get going to our gate."

Harry popped one more chip in his mouth, then wiped his hands with a napkin. "I'm done."

Louis scarfed down the rest of his burger before shoving all of their rubbish into his paper bag. Standing, he asked, "You ready?"

Harry stood, too, and reached first for his suitcase, then for Louis. Louis dumped the paper bag in the nearest bin, then led the way to their gate. They got there just as they were pre-boarding people with kids or special needs.

"You want to get on early?" Louis inquired, careful to keep his tone light.

Harry thought about it for a second, then nodded. "It would probably make it a little easier. Sure." As if it would make it clear why they were requesting to get on early, he pulled his cane from his pocket and opened it out.

Louis felt like he'd scored a moral victory getting Harry to take advantage of the pre-boarding, and he walked them up to the flight attendant taking boarding passes. She took one look at Harry and his cane, and she let them through.

It did not take long for them to find their seats and get settled. Louis took the window seat, Harry the middle. Louis kind of hoped that the aisle seat would remain empty so he and Harry could be alone together.

While they waited for the plane to take off, Louis whispered silly descriptions of their fellow passengers as they boarded. He quickly decided that there was no better occupation than making Harry Styles laugh.

Louis did not get his wish. An older gentlemen took the aisle seat next to Harry. But he got the next best thing…. The older man fell asleep immediately upon sitting down. With any luck, he'd sleep all the way to London.

As the plane taxied down the runway, Harry gripped the armrests tensely. Louis had never thought to ask how Harry felt about flying. "Nervous?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "A little."

"Here." Louis slipped his left hand under Harry's right, lacing their fingers together. Harry squeezed tight, but Louis was pleased to see Harry's face relax just a little bit.

Finally, when they were airborne, Harry eased his grip on Louis' hand, though he did not let it go. "Thanks," he told him with a smile.

"Any time." Louis paused for a moment, then went on, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Harry's smile widened. "I already answered that question, remember? Since I was born."

Louis reached over with his free hand to playfully punch Harry's arm. "Not that question, though it is related, I guess."

"Sure," Harry allowed, his face turned toward Louis and schooled to show he was ready for whatever Louis had to say.

"How do you do that?" Louis inquired.

"What?"

"Look right at me. Nod. Shake your head. That's stuff people learn by watching, I think. How do you know to do that?"

"My mum," Harry answered. "When she found out I was blind, she read everything she could get her hands on. They said that it can help blind kids fit in if they learn all those kinds of social cues, so she started teaching me when I was really little."

"That makes sense. That's really cool." Something else suddenly occurred to him. "How come you don't wear sunglasses? Every blind person on TV and in the movies wears sunglasses."

Harry shrugged. "The light I can see doesn't ever really bother me, and no one's ever told me my eyes are creepy to look at. They aren't, are they?"

"Just the opposite," Louis proclaimed. "Most people have boring blue or brown eyes. I mean, I have blue eyes, and so does Niall. Zayn and Liam have brown eyes. But not you. You have gorgeous green eyes."

Harry blushed at the compliment. "My mum told me once they're the colour of emeralds. I don't know exactly what that is, but I know emerald is a gemstone. And the city in _The Wizard of Oz_."

"She's right; they are the colour of emeralds. Very pretty. They suit you."

"Thank you." Harry took a moment to clear his throat. "So, any other questions? You can ask me anything," he told Louis softly, as if sharing a secret. "I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Louis returned hesitantly, not wanting to overstep.

Harry nodded. "Most people don't want to talk about my being blind, but it really doesn't bother me. It's not like I've ever known anything different."

"I can't even imagine what it must be like," Louis went on to admit. "When I was at home, I did tie a scarf over my eyes to try to see what it would be like. I didn’t last very long. I crashed into so many things. I even broke a lamp. There were so many things I found I couldn't do."

Harry chuckled and grinned. "I appreciate the effort to put yourself in my shoes."

"What's the most frustrating part for you?" Louis wanted to know.

Harry took a moment to really think about his response, then explained, "I think it's not being able to read body language and facial expressions. So much communication is visual, and I haven't got that. It can be tricky sometimes to really understand what a person is trying to get across. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. I didn't even think about that aspect of it," Louis told him.

After a moment of silence, Harry added, "There's something else."

"What?"

"It's also pretty frustrating having people think I can't do something just because I can't see," Harry confessed.

"Does that happen often?"

"All the time," Harry revealed with a sigh. "I mean, obviously there are some things I can't do. I won't ever be able to drive. I can't take pictures or paint. But there are so many things I've figured out how to do, it's maddening when all people focus on are all the things I can't do."

"That must be really hard," Louis commiserated. "But you need to remember that those people don't know you. If they did, they'd realise just how wonderful and talented you are. How many of them have made it to Judges' Houses on _The X-Factor_?"

Harry's smile was wide enough it brought out his dimples.

Louis had bought a travel guide to the area of Spain they were going to, and for the remainder of the short flight, he read aloud some descriptions of the history and attractions they might enjoy when they weren't practising for their audition.

When the plane landed at Heathrow, Harry and Louis waited until everyone else had deplaned before they made their way off. Harry had suggested it might be easier than trying to fight the crowd.

Once in the terminal, Louis found a monitor that told them the gate for their connecting flight was not very far away. Louis followed the signs and easily led them down one corridor into another, and located their new gate. Liam, Niall, and Zayn were already there and greeted them with cheers, smiles, and hugs.

It wasn't time for them to board quite yet, so the boys enlisted the help of a fellow passenger to snap a picture of the five of them at this, the start of their journey. They got the passenger to take a picture with three of their phones (Liam's, Louis', and Niall's), then they all sat down to wait for the call to board. They chatted excitedly among themselves about what they were looking forward to when they arrived in Spain.

When they called for pre-boarding, Louis turned to Harry and asked, "Do you want to get on the plane now, like we did earlier?"

Harry shook his head. "No, let's all get on the plane together."

"Are you sure? It made things awfully easy before," Louis reminded him.

"I'm sure. We're a band now, right? We need to stick together. I'll be okay," Harry assured him. "Besides, I have you, yeah?"

"Yeah, you do," Louis said. He didn't have the heart to argue the matter any further. He didn’t want to make Harry feel singled out, not when he was so sensitive about being "different."

When they had booked the flight, they had all arranged to sit in the same row. God help the person who took the sixth seat in that row. When they compared their boarding passes, they were able to confirm that they were definitely all assigned to row 15. They only had to wait a few more minutes for them to call the first fifteen rows to board.

As they all stood to shoulder or grab their bags, Louis made a request for everyone to wait. He took Harry's hand and guided it forward. At the same time, he told the other boys, "Bring it in, lads." Liam, Niall, and Zayn immediately rested their hands, one after the other, on top of Harry and Louis'. Louis brought his hand down, the others following suit. "One!"

"Direction!" his bandmates finished the cheer, lifting all their hands in the air. They didn't even care that every single person in their vicinity was staring at them, some with amusement, others with irritation.

"Let's go rock Judges' Houses!" Louis enthused, letting go of Harry only long enough to pick up the handle of his bag. Once Harry had his own in hand, Louis offered him his elbow, and the five young men made their way onto the plane, ready to meet their destiny.

* * *

Just a few short hours later, they had successfully landed in Malaga, negotiated passport control, and scored a taxi which took them to the hotel they would staying at for the duration of the audition process. Some of the groups coming to Judges' Houses had taken Simon up on his offer to stay right at the villa, but the boys had decided to stay, instead, at a hotel the internet found right on the beach not ten minutes from the villa. As they pulled up to it, Louis thought that the internet hadn't done nearly enough justice to how picturesque the hotel was. It wouldn't be a bad place to stay for a few days, not at all.

They had two connecting rooms booked for the band. They pretty easily decided that Louis and Harry would share one, and the other three the second. They also decided that they should stow their bags in the room then immediately check out the beach, since they had arrived mid-afternoon with plenty of time to enjoy the sun.

When Louis and Harry made it inside their room, Louis did just as he'd done first in Manchester, then again in London. He mapped the room with Harry. This time, they added a step where they found just the right places to put their bags so they wouldn't be an obstacle. Harry reminded Louis that he needed to leave things Harry might need where they were and that the floor needed to be kept clear. After Louis agreed to these terms, he suggested they get on their swim trunks so they could meet the other boys to head to the beach.

Harry sat down on the edge of the closest double bed and cleared his throat anxiously.

"What is it?" Louis asked, instantly concerned.

"I…. I've never…," Harry stammered, obviously unsure of how to say whatever it was that was bothering him.

"Never what?" Louis encouraged him to go on, sure to use a soft tone.

Pulling in a deep breath, Harry offered a confession. "I've never been to the beach before." His cheeks grew pink as soon as he uttered the words.

Louis opened his eyes wide in surprise. Sitting down next to Harry, he placed his hand on the other boy's knee. "You haven't?"

Harry shook his head.

"If it makes you nervous, we don't have to go," Louis assured him.

Harry shook his head again. "No. I want to. But just…," he trailed off once more.

Louis sensed he knew exactly what this was about. Testing his theory, he told Harry, "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." To prove his point, he picked up Harry's hand and held it tight as he used Harry's index finger to draw an 'x' over his own heart. "Cross my heart."

Harry smiled. "Okay. Let's go, then."

Each of the boys found a pair of swim trunks and a t-shirt. Harry changed in the washroom while Louis changed in the room proper. When Harry emerged wearing a pair of dark blue swim trunks and a light blue t-shirt, Louis thought he looked quite fetching.

"You look terrific," Louis told Harry, walking over to place a hungry kiss on Harry's lips.

When they parted for breath, Harry said, "Thank you. I'm sure you do, too. Now, what shoes should I wear?" He turned to put the clothes he'd been previously wearing back into his suitcase, remaining crouched so he could pull the appropriate shoes out, pending Louis' advice.

Louis crouched down right next to him. "Do you have any flip-flops?"

Harry shook his head. "I have these, though." He reached into his case and rummaged through its contents until he gave a little cry of victory and pulled out a pair of cream-coloured espadrilles.

"Those will do," Louis agreed. "While you get them on, I'll grab us a couple towels."

In just a few minutes, the two boys were all set to head out. Louis knocked on the door that stood between their room and Liam, Niall, and Zayn's. "You guys ready to go?" he called through the door.

Zayn opened the door and replied, "Yep. Should we come through there?"

"Sure," Louis allowed.

Niall charged in front of Zayn carting a towel and yelling, "Beach! Let's go, lads!"

Louis and Harry smiled at Niall's enthusiasm and happily followed him out into the hall, Zayn and Liam trailing behind.

The boys easily found the exit in the back of the hotel which led right to the beach. Liam, Niall, and Zayn hit the outside running, whooping as they crossed the parking lane and headed toward the tar path which would take them to the sea.

Louis and Harry took it a little more slowly, Louis carefully guiding Harry onto the path the other boys were already gone from. At the end of the path, Louis stopped, causing Harry to stop.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"No," Louis answered quickly. "Take off your shoes."

Harry didn't question him. After folding his cane, he bent over to slip off his shoes and bundle them together with his cane in the hand he didn't need on Louis' elbow. While Harry was completing this task, Louis likewise slipped off his flip-flops.

"Ready?" Louis inquired, pushing a smile into his voice.

Harry nodded, taking Louis' elbow again, and Louis walked them onto the warm sand.

Keeping a hold of his shoes and cane in his right hand, Harry removed his left from Louis' elbow and crouched down so he could grab a handful of sand. "It's nothing like the sand at home," he breathed, adding, "Like they use in sandboxes." Louis could see Harry curl his toes deep into the sand as he ran a pile of grains through his fingers.

"It's not?" Louis questioned, hoping Harry would explain.

Harry obliged. "These grains are much finer, like ground glass. The sand at home is heavier and clumpy, even if it hasn't rained in ages."

Louis smiled. "So observant. I love that. Hey, there's more. Wanna come?" He reached down to rest his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Yes." Harry dropped the sand he was holding and straightened, trailing his hand up the length of Louis' forearm to get a grip on Louis' elbow once again.

Louis guided them forward until they came to the spot where their bandmates had already stripped themselves of their shirts so they could sit and bask in the sun on their borrowed towels.

"There you are!" Liam greeted them. "We left you a spot." He gestured to the empty space to his right.

Louis had been carrying the towels over his arm and he handed one to Harry, nudging it into the hand which had been holding Louis' elbow. "Here. I'll lay mine down, then you can do yours."

Harry nodded and waited patiently for Louis to finish situating his towel. Then Louis took Harry's shoes and cane away, dropping them onto his freshly laid towel, before guiding Harry to the empty spot next to it, bending down with him to put Harry's hands right on the space. "Need help?" he asked, hoping he came across as casual.

"I'll let you know," Harry responded amiably as he gauged where Louis' towel was, then lined his up right next to it.

Louis watched as Harry concentrated on what he was doing, ready to pitch in, but forcing himself not to help unless he was enlisted. Turned out Harry got his towel spread out just fine on his own. When he was done, Louis collected Harry's shoes and cane and handed them back over so Harry could put them in a corner of his own towel where they'd be easy for him to locate.

"So, Harry, sunbathe or swim first?" Louis queried as Harry stretched back into a standing position.

Harry was quick to declare, "Swim."

"Swim it is!" He looked down at the other three boys still sitting on their towels. "You guys want to join?"

Liam looked from Niall to Zayn, then up at Louis. "No, we'll stay with Zayn." Louis belatedly remembered Zayn's not-a-swimmer thing. "Niall and I can go in when you and Harry get back."

"Cool," Louis said with a smile.

Harry and Louis shucked their shirts, then Louis slipped his elbow back into Harry's waiting hand.

"How far away are we?" Harry wondered aloud. "Sounds pretty close."

"About twenty steps, give or take," Louis told him. "But we can't quite go straight on. There are people in the way."

Harry nodded and got a slightly firmer grasp on Louis' arm. "Okay."

Louis negotiated them carefully around the sunbathers until they reached where the sand started to be wet. "Almost there," Louis narrated.

They only had to walk two more steps until they reached the water line. Harry stopped moving as soon as they came to a point where the water began washing over his feet. When the water pulled back out, taking the sand from beneath their feet, Harry stumbled backwards.

Louis steadied him and explained, "That's just the undertow. Nothing to worry about."

"Startled me," Harry admitted, moving forward again and crouching down so he could feel the waves coming in with his hands. After several moments, he straightened again and put his hand out for Louis' elbow.

"Ready to go further out?" Louis checked.

Harry nodded.

They waded out until they were about thigh deep. "Okay?" Louis asked Harry.

"Yeah," Harry confirmed.

Louis lifted his right arm unconsciously to push his hair back. When he did so, Harry--who was using this arm as his guide--locked his hand in a death grip on Louis' bicep. In a slightly panicked tone, he pleaded, "Don't let me go."

Louis immediately lowered his arm back down. Reaching his left hand over to cover Harry's left hand, he promised, "I won't. I was just fixing my hair, not trying to lose you. I'm sorry if I scared you."

Harry hauled in a deep breath, calming himself down. He shook his head and loosened his hold on Louis a minute amount. "I'm okay. It's just…. There aren't any sides, you know, like a pool. I am not a huge fan of being alone in open spaces."

"Don't worry. I've got you."

"Thanks."

"Is this far enough or do you want to go deeper?"

"We can go a little further," Harry told him bravely.

Louis obliged and walked them out a few feet more until they were waist deep. "How's this?"

Harry still held Louis' arm more tightly than usual, but he smiled. "Good."

"Here." In a move which was made a little more complicated than it needed to be by his desire not to let Harry go, Louis reached over his body with his left hand and gently pried Harry's hand from his elbow. Once he'd accomplished that, Louis took Harry's newly freed hand in his right, lacing their fingers together. "This okay?"

Harry nodded, and his smile grew a little wider. Louis couldn't quite believe he was getting to share Harry's first experience with the sea. It was truly awesome.

"Let me show you something," Louis said. "Let's turn around so we're facing the shore."

Harry dutifully allowed himself to be moved.

"When the wave comes, push back with your feet and then lift them," Louis directed. He squeezed Harry's hand steadfastly. "I promise not to let you go."

Harry did as directed. When the next wave hit their backs, Harry squeezed Louis's hand and leaned back into the wave, letting it carry him. Louis followed suit. When the wave passed, Louis commented, "Cool, yeah?"

"Very," Harry agreed.

They passed the next fifteen or so minutes this way, allowing themselves to be buoyed by the waves, but this carried them farther down the shore, and Louis didn't want them to drift too far from their section of the beach. After a particularly large wave, he asked, "Shall we head back? Have you had enough? If you haven't, we just need to work our way back to the right a little. We've drifted."

"We can go back," Harry said.

Keeping a firm hold on Harry's hand, Louis pulled them back toward the shore, angling them both so they would end up back close to where he could see Niall's shock of blond hair. When they got back into the calf-high water, he shifted his arm so Harry could once again take his elbow.

When they arrived back at the One Direction section of beach, the two boys collapsed onto their towels.

"Zayn fell asleep?" Louis inquired, looking over at where Zayn was clearly passed out on his towel, the warm sun and their long journey doing a number on him.

"About a minute after you left," Niall confirmed.

"How's the water?" Liam asked.

"Great!" Louis responded at the same time Harry enthused, "Incredible!"

"All right, then, Nialler," Liam said, "let's do it." He stood and ran for the water, Niall hot on his heels.

"Spain is so gorgeous," Louis commented as he settled himself on his towel.

Harry likewise situated himself on his towel. "Is it now?"

Louis smiled and looked over at Harry. Harry lay with his knees bent, head flat on the towel, eyes closed as he dried in the sun. "Almost as gorgeous as you," Louis proclaimed.

Louis watched as Harry blushed. Then he went on to describe the scene. "The sun is so much brighter than it is back at home. There are palm trees all along the line between the beach and the land behind it. The sand is almost white, not like the more beige sand at the beaches I've been to back in England. And the water…. The water is a clear turquoise blue."

"Sounds pretty," Harry said, his voice lazy with relaxation.

Louis was quiet for a moment, just enjoying the sun, the air, and the happy sounds all around him. Then something occurred to him, and he turned his head to gaze at Harry again. "You don't know colours."

Harry shook his head. "No. I don't. It's okay."

"Has anyone ever tried to explain them?"

"Yes," Harry answered, turning his face toward Louis. "But mostly by telling me that certain things are certain colours, like grass being green or apples being red. Not actually helpful, but I appreciated the effort."

"Yeah," Louis agreed softly. Maybe someday he would figure out a better way to explain colours to Harry. He put the idea in the back of his mind to contemplate when he had a chance.

The boys stayed on the beach for a little while longer, enjoying their last real leisure time before they needed to get down to the business of making it through Judges' Houses. Soon enough, though, the sun began to set, and Niall declared that he was starving, waking Zayn with his loud pronouncement.

"I sense this is going to be a theme," Liam said with a chuckle.

"I am a growing boy," Niall countered defensively.

"I'm hungry, too," Zayn put in.

"Let's go up and shower and change, then we can go out and explore, find something to eat," Louis suggested.

"Works for me," Liam returned, already getting up to start collecting his things.

The others did the same, then they wended their way around the people who were determined to catch every last ray of sun they could and back up to their hotel rooms. Outside their side-by-side doors, they agreed to meet back in this spot in thirty minutes to go see what they could find in the way of dinner.

Louis opened their hotel room door and let Harry go in first. Once they were safely inside, Louis asked, "Do you want the first shower or the second?"

"You can go first," Harry told him magnanimously.

"You sure?"

"Go!" Harry urged. "I'll work on finding something presentable to wear to dinner."

Louis hunted quickly through his bag for some clothes to change into and took them and his toilet kit into the washroom.

He took a speedy shower--the hotel had decent water pressure, which was nice--then began to pull on the clothes he'd picked for their evening sojourn--a pair of jeans and a black and white striped t-shirt. He'd only just gotten the jeans on when he heard a loud crash on the other side of the door. He raced out of the washroom as if he was a bullet shot out of a gun.

It was instantly clear what had caused the crash. Louis found Harry sprawled on the floor face down, a broken coffee table underneath his stomach, the potted plant which had been in the center of it dumped all over his left side.

"Oh my God. Harry!" Louis cried, moving to the younger boy's side, kneeling and placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, are you hurt?"

Harry didn't answer right away. He seemed focused, instead, on raising himself onto his hands and knees and backing away from the broken table, dislodging Louis' hand from his shoulder in the process. Once he was clear of the furniture and the destroyed foliage, Harry leaned back on his haunches. It was then that Louis could see that he was crying.

"Oh, baby," Louis whispered. He reached out and used his thumb to wipe the tears first from under Harry's left eye, then his right. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Harry pulled in a few hitching breaths. Once he managed to compose himself, he said, "I landed on my knee, so that hurts a little, and I banged my elbow somewhere in there, but otherwise, I'm okay."

"What happened?" Louis spoke softly, wanting to know, but not wanting to put on any pressure on Harry.

"I miscounted my steps and tripped on the table. I lost my balance and fell on it," Harry explained. A second later he slapped a hand over his mouth and began to cry again, though it was clear to Louis that Harry was trying super hard not to lose it completely.

"What is it?" Louis asked, concerned Harry was more injured than it initially appeared.

Once more, Harry hauled in some deep breaths and pulled himself together enough to answer, "They're going to call my mother and tell her what happened, and she's going to fly right down here and tell me I have no business doing this by myself. And she'll be so mad she has to pay for a table."

Louis couldn't stand it anymore. He gathered Harry into his arms. Harry allowed it and seemed to calm down when Louis rubbed gentle circles in the middle of his back. After a long moment, Louis took Harry by the upper arms and held him out just far enough that he could look at Harry's face. "No one is going to call anybody," he told him in a fierce tone.

"How do you know?" Harry replied sceptically.

"I just do." Louis went for a reassuring tone now, though the plan he was working on was only in its beginning stages. "Now, you need to get into the shower. We have dinner plans."

"But…." Harry's protest was cut off when Louis placed an index finger over his mouth.

"No buts." Louis stood and brought Harry upright with him. He brushed the dirt off Harry's left side, not at all concerned with the floor just yet. Then he walked Harry the couple of steps to his suitcase, bending down with him to put his hand on the edge.

"Were you done?" Harry inquired, already gathering the things he needed into his arms.

"I'll just grab my shirt and my comb and I'm all set." Louis didn't even wait for Harry to say anything more. He sped back into the washroom and hung his towel on the rack before retrieving his shirt and comb. When he came back out, Harry stood next to his suitcase, waiting. "All yours."

Louis very deliberately did not move to help Harry. Harry gave a small smile at the show of respect and walked past Louis into the washroom, closing the door behind him.

Louis threw his t-shirt on and set about locating the rubbish bin he knew had to be in the room. He found the bin under the desk and quickly began transferring the shattered plant and soil into it. Fortunately, the soil was pretty damp, so it was easy to clump together to throw out.

When he heard the shower go on, he stood and rapped on the door connecting his and Harry's room to the other boys'. It wasn't long before Liam opened the door.

"Help me," Louis said succinctly.

"Help with what?" Liam wanted to know.

"Harry accidentally fell and broke a table and a plant--" Louis began to explain.

"Oh my God! Is he okay?"

Louis nodded. "He's a little shaken, but he's okay. I want to get this cleaned up before he's done in the shower."

"Okay. Sure." Liam followed Louis back to the scene of the accident.

"I think I got most of the plant," Louis told him. "I just need to figure out what to do with the table."

Liam eyeballed the furniture for a moment, then glanced around the room. "Put it over in the corner by the window? It'll be out of the way."

Louis shook his head. "No, it needs to be out of the room. Harry's worried that if housekeeping or whatever finds it, they'll call his mum, and he thinks she'd be really upset."

"Well, that's silly. It was an accident," Liam pointed out.

"True, but he seems pretty convinced she'll come down here and tell him he can't be here by himself after all. I think it would be better if the table wasn't here to remind him."

"Okay," Liam said, though he seemed mildly perplexed by Harry's thought processes.

It only took another few moments for an idea to push itself to the forefront of Louis' brain. "I've got it! We can switch this table with yours. We can just explain to the hotel that one of us accidentally broke it when we sat on it to put on shoes. If it has to be paid for, I'll do it. But this way, Harry won't be worried it will be linked to him."

Liam nodded. "Sure. That'll work, I guess." He reached down to grab the broken legs of the table while Louis took charge of getting the table top's now-three pieces in hand. Together, they got all of the pieces into the other room.

Zayn was still in the shower when they went into the other room, but Niall was busy getting his trainers on. "What on Earth are you two up to? Are we being pop stars who trash hotel rooms already?"

"Long story," Louis said. "We'll explain later. Can you get the plant off your coffee table and onto the desk?"

Niall complied readily, while Liam and Louis dumped the remains of the coffee table from Louis and Harry's room into the corner next to Liam's suitcase.

Louis and Liam then took one end each of the whole coffee table and, together, carried it out of the three boys' room and put it right where the broken one had been in Louis and Harry's--about a foot in front of the sleeper sofa against the right side wall. They found a little more dirt debris on the carpet and they were just scooping the last bits into their hands, then into the rubbish bin when they heard the shower turn off.

Louis pitched his voice low and soft to say, "You can explain what happened to Zayn and Niall, but it's probably best if no one mentions it in front of Harry."

Liam nodded and rose from where he was getting the last specks of dirt cleared away to head back to his own room.

"Liam?"

Liam had made it to the door connecting their rooms, and he turned back to look at Louis, eyebrows raised in question.

"Thanks for helping," Louis told him sincerely.

Liam smiled. "Any time. See you in--" he looked down at his watch, "--five minutes?"

Louis shook his head. "Better make it ten, yeah? And don't knock if we're late."

"Gotcha." Liam went the rest of the way through the door, closing it gently behind himself.

Louis had about three more minutes to make sure that everything was back in its place before Harry emerged from the washroom. He had dressed in jeans and a brown t-shirt; his hair fell in damp ringlets around his head. Subdued, he walked slowly to his suitcase to put back the t-shirt he'd worn to the beach. He'd toed off his espadrilles when they'd gotten back to the room. Now, he picked them back up and tentatively moved toward his bed to sit and put them on.

"Harry?" Louis ventured. "You okay?"

Harry nodded, hanging his head and belying his answer.

"You sure?"

Harry shrugged.

Louis moved to sit beside Harry, placing a hand on Harry's thigh. "You're not hurt worse than you thought, are you?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Just bumps and bruises. Nothing I haven't had a million times before."

"Then what is it? And don't lie and say it's nothing. I can tell something's wrong." Louis made sure to keep his voice low and gentle.

Harry swallowed and admitted, "I'm embarrassed. I don't want you think of me as--"

"What?" Louis interrupted. "Clumsy? Dude, I once fell and broke my ankle while going up a flight of stairs." He made sure to emphasise the "up."

"I was going to say as a blind person," Harry concluded his thought.

"Well, you are," Louis conceded. "But that doesn't define you--not to my mind anyhow."

A tiny smile appeared on Harry's face. "Thank you."

"I'm not saying that to make you feel better," Louis insisted. "It's true. If I was making a list, that would come after so many other things. You are kind, talented, handsome, smart, tenacious. Blind doesn't even make the top five."

Louis was rewarded with an even bigger smile, which was joined by a blush that shot up Harry's cheeks at Louis' words. "I'm sorry I cried and freaked out," he said softly.

"You think I didn't cry when I broke my ankle? Hurt like hell."

"I can call the front desk and explain what happened," Harry went on to offer. "If they have to call my mum, I guess I'll just have to deal."

Louis grinned. "No. Look." He took Harry by the hand and pulled him off the bed, then led him over to the coffee table. He placed Harry's hands right on the top of the table and waited.

Harry's forehead wrinkled with confusion. "But…. I broke it."

"This one came from the other lads' room. They're going to tell the hotel it broke when one of them sat down on it to put on their shoes," Louis explained, still inordinately pleased with the plan in place.

"They were willing to do that for me?" Harry asked incredulously, straightening up.

"Well, just to be clear, it was my idea," Louis pointed out. "But they agreed. So, no more worries, yeah?"

"Okay."

"Now, I don't know about you, but I am starving," Louis said. "And I'm worried about what will happen if we don't feed Niall soon. You ready?"

Harry nodded. "I am." With a little more confidence in his step, he gathered up his wallet and his cane, then took Louis' elbow. "Let's go."

When they stepped outside the room, they found Niall, Zayn, and Liam waiting patiently. 

"All ready, then?" Liam asked lightly.

Louis and Harry nodded simultaneously. Louis added, "Thanks for waiting."

"No big deal," Niall assured them.

Softly, Harry offered, "Thanks for helping out with the table."

"All for one, and one for all, yeah?" Liam said. "I already called down to them, and they said it wasn't a problem. Especially not once I suggested they might want to choose sturdier tables next time they're shopping for furniture."

That made Harry giggle, which made Louis want to kiss Liam.

Gratitude thereby dispersed, they agreed that they wanted to walk around outside and see what kind of restaurant they could find and not just go to the hotel restaurant.

It was a pretty night, and the boys left the hotel and decided to turn right so they could stroll along a path that skirted the top of the beach. The sun was almost completely set at this point, and the moon cast everything in an otherworldly blue glow. It wasn't long before they came across a seafood restaurant nestled in a bunch of trees right near the path. They decided it would do for a Welcome to Spain dinner.

Louis very carefully guided Harry through the aisles between tables, ignoring the curious stares of the other diners. Soon they were all settled at a corner table, and the waiter had brought them menus and a round of sodas.

All the boys took turns reading to Harry from the menu. From this, they found out that Niall spoke and understood Spanish the best of the five of them. This meant that when the waiter came back for their order, Niall ordered for everyone.

While they waited for their food to arrive, they enthused about how wonderful Spain was, they commiserated about how nervous they were about singing for Simon, and they whined about how early they were being asked to get up the following morning to go begin the process of selecting the song for their audition.

When their food finally arrived, Louis took charge of describing where Harry's food was located, remembering Anne's trick of imagining the plate as a clock face. Once Harry was set, silence reigned as the boys dug in, ravenous after their long day of travel and beach-going.

Once they'd made a dent in their dinners, they played a little game of "Where I Would Be If It Weren't For _The X-Factor_."

"I'd be packing for uni," Louis began the round.

"What were you going to study?" Liam asked, sipping at his soda.

"Drama. Last year I began to think I might want to be a drama teacher."

"Cool," Niall said. "I still need to finish my GCSEs. I should be studying right now."

"Baby!" Zayn teased.

"Hey," Niall protested. "I'm not the youngest here. That honour belongs to young Harry over there."

"True. But I finished all my exams," Harry bragged. "So there's that."

"What were you going to do next, Harry?" Niall asked Harry.

"College, I guess, though I don't know what I'd most like to study," Harry told him. "But I know my mum expects me to go--unless this works out. So if it doesn't, I guess I'll need to figure it out."

"I don't think you're going to have to, because I think we're going to hit it big," Louis said confidently. He turned to the boy on his other side. "What about you, Zayn?"

"I was planning on studying English at uni," Zayn responded proudly. "Maybe become an English teacher."

"I was actually already at university," Liam told them. "Well, college. In Wolverhampton. Studying music technology. Not sure what I was going to do with that, but it was interesting."

"That's cool," Niall said, adding, "If this doesn't work out, maybe you'll end up in a recording studio after all."

Liam smiled. "Maybe. You never know."

The boys took time, then, to finish eating their dinners, lest they get cold. Then they summoned the waiter to order coffee and dessert--a treat to celebrate their audition.

They ended up sharing a sampling of the ice creams and cakes the restaurant had to offer. After all their plates were clean and they'd drained their coffee cups, they paid their bill and headed back out into the night.

They decided it would be fun to stroll back to the hotel on the beach. It was still warm, and the glint of the moon on the Mediterranean was too alluring for them to ignore. They all slipped off their shoes and rolled up their jeans, then walked right along the water line, their toes squishing in the wet sand.

"It sounds so completely different at night," Harry commented.

"Well, there aren't nearly as many people as there were this afternoon," Louis noted.

Harry shook his head minutely. "No, it's not just that. The water sounds different. Calmer. Maybe it's the wind. It's coming from a completely different direction than it was earlier."

Louis grinned. "I guess I need to add 'perceptive' to that list we were talking about." He leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek.

Liam and Niall immediately began catcalling while Zayn muttered something about "PDAs" under his breath.

While Harry blushed, Louis grinned even bigger and told them, "I'll kiss who I want where I want. If you don't like it, you can bite me."

When they got back to the hotel, they retired to Niall, Liam, and Zayn's room, the three of them piled on one bed, Harry and Louis sitting side by side on the other. They agreed that they needed to take it easy this evening and make sure they were rested. The next two days would be long and stressful, and they would need all the energy they could muster.

They turned the television on, intending to see if they could find a movie in English on. Niall took charge of the remote and began flipping through the stations. After two or three flips, Louis yelled out, "Stop!"

Niall followed directions and stopped the TV on what was obviously a telenovela. All the boys paid it rapt attention for a few minutes before Harry, clearly confused, finally asked, "What is that?"

"A telenovela," Louis explained.

Harry shook his head.

"It's like a Spanish soap opera," Liam jumped in.

"With the stupidest plots you can imagine," Niall added.

"My mum loves these things," Zayn admitted. "And my sisters."

"Oh look, this guy, he is clearly a plumber," Louis narrated for Harry's benefit. "And this lady--who, by the way, is wearing the lowest-cut dress I have ever seen--clearly wants to be his girlfriend. He's explaining to her that her sink is broken, but he can take a break."

"That's not what she said!" Niall protested.

"Shh!" Louis admonished him. "Look, she's up for keeping him company during his break. Ah, there it is--she's laying him back on the counter."

Niall, Liam, and Zayn all snickered and giggled on their side of the room.

"Uh-oh, big, burly guy coming into the house. He hears something coming from the kitchen. He's going to investigate. Okay, that is obviously her husband. And he is not happy to find his wife in a compromising position."

Harry smiled at Louis' description of the action on screen. "I'll bet."

"Oh! Here's a surprise. Wifey has pulled a knife, and she's threatening the plumber with it. Like she wasn't just playing tonsil hockey with him a minute ago!

"Now the husband has a knife!" Louis relayed. "He is clearly telling the plumber that he is going to eviscerate him if he doesn't get away from his woman.

"And there goes the plumber, running out of the flat like his arse is on fire, wifey and her hubby hot in pursuit," Louis concluded as the credits for the show began to roll.

"That's where it ends?" Niall protested vociferously. "Assholes!"

"Damn, and he forgot his tools," Zayn lamented.

They all busted out laughing. After they calmed back down, Zayn offered to go find them some sodas, and Niall began hunting through the channels for a movie again, finally settling on _Die Hard_ when both Harry and Liam said they'd never seen it before. Fortunately, it was subtitled and not dubbed, so they could do as they did at the bungalow and just describe the visuals for Harry when necessary.

By the time the movie ended, it was late, and they knew they needed to get a good night's sleep. The paperwork which they had been sent indicated that they needed to report to Simon's villa at ten o'clock sharp. They agreed to meet outside their rooms at half-eight for breakfast and a powwow before they started off on the next phase of their adventure. Then they bid each other good night, and Louis and Harry retreated to their room.

As soon as the connecting door was shut behind them, Louis asked, "So, do you want the washroom first or second?"

"I'll go first. If you want to change in here while I change in there, that should work. It's not like I can catch you undressed," Harry noted with a grin.

"Good point," Louis responded with a chuckle.

Harry gathered the things he needed from his suitcase, then made his way into the washroom.

Louis went ahead and took Harry's suggestion, changing into a pair of blue pyjama bottoms and his favourite Man U t-shirt. He messed with his phone while he waited for his turn to complete his nighttime routine, texting good night to his mother and sisters and playing a round of Bejeweled.

It wasn't long before Harry emerged from the washroom dressed in red plaid pyjama bottoms and a plain white t-shirt. He looked perfectly adorable.

It was as Harry was putting his things back in his suitcase that Louis realised that they hadn't discussed sleeping arrangements--and there was no putting it off now.

When Harry stood, ready for bed, Louis nervously cleared his throat. "So, there are two beds."

"Right," Harry agreed, patiently waiting Louis out.

"We can either take one each or…."

"Or…what?" Harry inquired shyly, dipping his chin down a little.

"Or we can share one." Louis hastened to add, "Not to do anything we're not ready for. Just to sleep. Maybe even cuddle. It's totally up to you."

Harry blushed and smiled. "We can share. It's not like we haven't shared the same bed before," he recalled. That night back at boot camp seemed like ages ago instead of more than a month ago.

"True. Any preference as to which one? Louis wondered aloud. "Nearer to the wall or nearer to the window?"

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. You pick."

Louis moved to take Harry's hand and guide him to the bed closer to the window than the wall, placing Harry's hand on top of the headboard. "This one has better all-around access."

"Cool. Sounds good to me."

"Great. I'll just go take a turn in the washroom, then. If you're all set."

"I'm good. Go."

Louis collected his toilet kit and quickly took care of all he needed to in the washroom. When he returned to the main room, he found Harry curled up in the bed, duvet pulled right up to his chin. And he'd thought the pyjamas/t-shirt combination was the most adorable thing he'd seen all day. He had been wrong.

Louis shut off all the lights in the room before crawling into the bed next to Harry. Harry stayed completely still until Louis raised himself up on his elbow to place a gentle kiss on Harry's temple. Harry took that as permission to back up until his back was pressed against Louis' chest.

"You did say we could cuddle, right?" Harry checked.

Louis laughed and put his arm around Harry's, pulling him in tight. "I would love nothing more."

"I've only ever shared a bed with my sister," Harry whispered. "And she said I snore and steal covers."

"That's okay," Louis told him. "I don't mind."

"Good night, Louis," Harry said sleepily.

"Good night, Harry. Sweet dreams."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judges' Houses, Part 2 (of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued thanks for the happiness showered upon me in the form of hits, kudos, and comments!!

Louis woke the next morning to the sensation of feather-light fingertips on his face. Louis tensed involuntarily at the touch, which, in turn, made the touch stop. Louis' eyes flew open, and he caught the sight of Harry withdrawing his hand, a guilty look on his face. Louis reached out to catch Harry's wrist and bring his fingers right back to where they'd been.

"It's okay," Louis whispered in a voice raspy from sleep. "You're allowed to look."

As Louis focused in on Harry's face, he could tell Harry was surprised by what Louis had said. Then, though, a smile bloomed on Harry's face that could rival the sun with its warmth.

"What?" Louis asked, a smile emerging on his own face.

"You get it," Harry said.

Louis, a little confused, requested clarification. "Get what?

"How I see." After a moment, he added, "Thank you." He tweaked Louis' nose playfully before removing his hands from Louis' face once more, this time with zero guilt.

Louis grinned. "You're welcome."

"Good morning, Louis."

"Good morning, Harry." Louis reached up and wrapped his hand around the back of Harry's neck, pulling him down for a quick good morning kiss.

When they separated, Harry asked, "What time is it?"

Louis peered over Harry's shoulder to the clock on the bedside table. "It's almost eight. I guess we should get ourselves together."

"I'll take the washroom first," Louis proclaimed. "Unless you object."

Harry shook his head. "Nope. That's cool." He got out of bed as Louis did, though, and headed to his suitcase to pick out something to wear.

They were ready just in the nick of time, both slipping on their shoes at eight twenty-nine. When they stepped outside the room, the other three boys were stepping out of theirs. They greeted each other and decided to just have breakfast in the hotel restaurant to allow more time for getting themselves prepared for the day ahead of them.

Breakfast was an easy affair. Over pancakes and eggs, they set some ground rules for the day--and beyond. Rule #1: Majority rules. Rule #2: Do your best at all times. Rule #3: Keep it simple; don't complicate things unnecessarily. Once they settled on these rules, they shared some song ideas each of them had had since their bungalow vacation. Before they knew it, it was time to sign for the bill and head over to Simon's villa.

A car had been sent for them, and when they arrived at the villa, they were ushered into a room with a piano and a guitar in it. This was to be their practise room for as long as they wanted to use it. They were left with a list of approved songs to choose from and the information that their audition with Simon would be the following day. A coach would be in to help them as soon as they picked a song.

The list was pretty extensive; they sat down right on the floor in a circle in the middle of the room and took turns reading it out loud for Harry's benefit. All of them were happy to find some of the ideas they had named at breakfast represented on the list. Straight away, they started naming--and eliminating--possibilities.

"'All About You?'" Niall suggested.

"Too cheesy," Louis responded, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"'Bad Day?'" Liam tried.

"Too cliché," Zayn replied. "Though it is a good song."

"'I'm a Believer?'" Louis contributed.

"The Shrek song?" Harry countered. "No."

"It's not the Shrek song," Louis said. "It's the Smash Mouth song."

Harry shrugged. "It's the Shrek song."

"You're both idiots. It's a Monkees song," Niall proclaimed.

"Whatever, Niall," Louis said smugly.

"We shouldn't sing it, no matter who did it originally," Harry stated. "It's as overused as 'Bad Day.'"

"'Leave Right Now?'" Harry shared his idea.

"I'm not really crazy about that one," Niall admitted.

"'Torn?'" Zayn took a stab at coming up with one that would work.

They all paused to think about the concept of performing this particular song. After a moment, Louis said, "That could work."

"That's a great song," Harry put in.

"It is!" Niall enthusiastically agreed.

"Sounds good to me," Liam gave his okay.

"I think we have a winner," Zayn concluded with a big smile.

They summoned their coach for the day and explained that they wanted to sing "Torn" for their audition and could they have lyric sheets?

Their coach turned out to be a lovely woman named Tamsin, and she brought a pianist named Jeremy with her--and lyric sheets.

The boys spent the first fifteen minutes studying the lyrics of the song, Louis reading the words to Harry twice, after which Harry said he had them, since he was pretty familiar with the song to begin with. Before they began to practise singing, they spent a little time talking with Tamsin about the meaning of the song, explaining that the more they understood what the song was about, the better they would sing it. Finally, they were ready to begin practising.

For the next several hours they practised singing their chosen song. They played around with who would sing which part and which parts they would sing all together until they came up with an arrangement they felt suited both them and the song. They easily agreed not to try any kind of choreography, and they were met with no opposition on this point. They practised until they all knew the song by heart, only taking a break for a very quick lunch, and it was late afternoon when they finally decided that they were as ready for the next day as they could be. Which meant Tamsin made them practise another hour.

It was dinnertime when the car drove them back to their hotel. After an extremely short discussion, they agreed to eat at the poolside snack bar. To this end, they decided to change into swim trunks before eating so they could have an evening swim after they ate.

They congregated back at the snack bar and Liam took charge of taking everyone's order and placing it. Then they settled in at a table to dissect the day's events and plan for the following day's.

"I think we sounded really good together today," Louis said with a smile.

The others were swift to concur.

"We just need to perform as well tomorrow," Liam noted. 

"No shit, Sherlock," Niall returned, though it didn't contain a lot of heat.

When the others all murmured agreement with Niall's assessment, Liam went on to amend his statement. "It will be different tomorrow. Simon will be there. And cameras. And it's our chance. Our only chance to make the live shows."

"Point taken," Louis allowed.

"What should we wear tomorrow?" Zayn wondered aloud.

"Oh, my God!" Niall declared in a high pitched voice. "How have we not discussed this already?"

"I think we should all dress casual," Liam suggested. "But not matching."

"Definitely not matching," Zayn said.

Louis put in, "I think we should keep it simple. Plain. Light colours. Nothing to detract from our singing."

"That makes sense," Liam said. "Harry, what do you think? You're awfully quiet."

Harry smirked. "I'm blind, Liam. Fashion isn't my thing. I will wear whatever you guys tell me to."

"Fair enough," Liam replied easily. "So, we're all agreed?"

The other four nodded as Louis restated, "Plain, simple, light."

At this point, their food arrived and they dug in, starving. As they ate, they discussed their competition. At lunch, they had managed to get to know some of the other groups they were up against. They were pretty sure they could take all of them, but they'd liked many of them, too, and were also sure it would be fun to go to the live shows with some of them.

When they were done with their dinner, they moved poolside. Louis noticed as they moved that Harry's grip on his elbow was extra tight.

"You okay, Harry?" he asked.

"Can you just walk me around the pool?" Harry requested softly, as if he didn't want the other three to hear.

Louis guessed that it must be a little nerve-wracking for Harry to be around an unfamiliar pool. "Of course," he told him. When they found a group of vacant chairs, he announced to the company at large, "Harry and I are going to take a walk around the perimeter."

"While you two do that, I'll get us some towels," Niall offered, already turning in the direction of the nearby pool house.

"Zayn and I will protect the chairs," Liam concluded, planting himself into the middle chair to wait.

Louis led Harry a little bit away from Liam and Zayn and inquired, "So, anything different about mapping the pool area from mapping a hotel room?"

Harry pulled open his cane and shook his head. "Not really. Just don't let me fall in."

"I won't let anything happen to you," Louis promised.

Harry smiled. "I trust you."

Louis made sure to begin to walk around the pool in a counter-clockwise direction so Harry wouldn't be the one skirting the pool, while Harry swung his cane in a small arc in front of himself. Louis did, however, guide Harry close enough to the pool so the dimensions were clear, and he made sure to describe where all the buildings and steps up were. By the time Louis announced that they had made an entire circuit around the pool, Harry seemed a great deal more comfortable.

"Walk me to the edge?" Harry asked when Louis came to a stop. 

Louis did as bidden, stopping about a half a foot from the pool's edge. "Here we are."

Harry let go of Louis' elbow and handed Louis his cane before crouching down to feel around the tile by the lip of the pool with both hands. "Textured," Harry commented. "Nice."

"Is that helpful, then?" Louis wondered aloud.

Harry straightened and nodded, taking his cane back when Louis offered it. "If it goes all the way around the pool."

Louis let his gaze circle the pool. "It does."

"Then yes. If I know that's there, I'll know where the edge is, even without you or my cane."

"That's great," Louis enthused. "So, swim first or relax first?"

"Swim," Harry answered. "Before it gets too cool."

"Then let's dump our shirts and shoes and go in," Louis said, already leading them back to where the others were also in the process of getting ready to go in the water. Once they had divested themselves of all but their swim trunks, Louis asked, "Walk in the shallow end or dive in the deep end?"

"Shallow end," Harry said. "If that's okay."

"Wouldn't have asked if it wouldn't be," Louis responded with a smile. "Let's go."

"We'll come with," Niall proclaimed, gesturing to Liam, who eagerly stood to follow.

"I'll go sit at the deep end and wait for you guys," Zayn said amiably.

Liam and Niall overtook Louis and Harry and were waist deep in the shallow end by the time Louis placed Harry's hand on the rail which ran down the steps into the pool. "There are four steps down," he alerted Harry.

"Thanks." Harry let go of Louis' elbow, but held tight to the railing as he slowly made his way into the pool, his other hand held slightly out in front of himself. Louis walked down the steps quickly so he could wait for Harry at the bottom, just in case his assistance was needed.

When Harry made it down all the stairs, he whispered, "Louis?"

"I'm right here," Louis said, reaching his hand out to take Harry's. 

Harry smiled and squeezed Louis' hand. "Just until I get my bearings."

"Just until you get your bearings," Louis repeated. He could only imagine how torn Harry was. On the one hand, no sixteen year old wanted to appear like he needed help in a swimming pool, but on the other, it was a totally unknown place, and Louis knew Harry needed time to get used to new locations.

Louis held tight to Harry's hand while Harry held the edge of the pool with his free hand. They followed Liam and Niall into the deep end. Once they got to where they needed to swim, Harry told Louis it was okay to let go, but asked for Zayn to talk so he'd know where to go. It still amazed Louis how well Harry used sound to guide his movements. He made no error in swimming right to where Zayn was, catching on to the wall when he got there.

They spent the next hour or so just hanging out in the pool. Once Harry got the dimensions of the deep end down, they had races. Niall turned out to be the real fish of the group, winning each and every lap in which he competed. However, none of the others were slouches. Each of them won a lap or two. 

When the air started to cool and their fingers started to prune, they climbed out of the pool and wrapped themselves in towels.

"So, gentlemen, movie before bed?" Niall suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Louis agreed. "Harry?"

"Fine with me."

Zayn and Liam likewise agreed that it was a good idea, then they collected their things and retired to their rooms for showers. Once dressed in more comfy clothes, they congregated in Zayn, Liam, and Niall's room to first order desserts and sodas from room service (after all, what good was it eating on _The X-Factor_ 's pound if they didn't exploit it a little?), then settle on a movie. This time, they found _Mission: Impossible III_.

A couple hours later, they had downed ice cream and cake and finished the movie. Before ensuring they got a good night's sleep, they decided that they wanted to hit the beach in the morning before heading to the villa to rehearse since their audition was in the early afternoon. They agreed to meet for breakfast mid-morning before hitting the waves.

Harry and Louis returned to their room after wishing the others a good night.

When they got there, the first thing Harry did was call his mum. He had texted her when they'd arrived in Spain, but they had been so busy, he had not yet had a chance to check in. Louis listened with a smile to Harry's side of the conversation.

"Hi Mum." Pause. "We've been super busy getting ready for the audition tomorrow." Pause. "I'm fine. Louis and the others are taking really good care of me." Pause. "We're singing 'Torn.'" Pause. "I'll let you know the minute we hear anything, I promise." Pause. "I love you, too." Pause. "I'll tell him. Night, Mum."

As Harry ended the call, Louis asked, "Everything okay at home?"

"Seems to be. She said to tell you hello."

"She's sweet."

The two boys proceeded, then, to follow the exact same routine they had the previous night. It wasn't long until they were spooning in bed, Louis behind Harry, holding on tight.

"Louis?" Harry said softly as they lay there in the dark.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for taking such good care of me today. Yesterday, too, for that matter."

"You are so easy to take care of," Louis assured him. "It's my pleasure."

"You nervous about tomorrow?"

"A little," Louis admitted. "But I'm also super excited that the audition's finally here. What about you?"

"The same." After a moment, he went on, "You think we'll make it? To the live shows?"

Louis nodded his head against Harry's shoulder. "I think we have a really good chance, yeah."

"I hope you're right."

"You did say you trusted me," Louis reminded him.

"To walk me around a pool, not to predict the future," Harry clarified, a smile evident in his tone.

"You don't know. I could be clairvoyant," Louis argued playfully.

"True," Harry conceded. 

"I do know we won't do well if we don't get some sleep," Louis went on to say.

"Okay. I believe you're right on that one. Good night, Louis."

Louis pressed a kiss to the top of Harry's head. "Good night."

Louis could tell the minute Harry fell asleep. His breathing evened out, and he relaxed completely in Louis' arms. It was a while before Louis could do the same. He was way too busy worrying about what would happen if they did not make the live shows. Finally, though, reason took over, reminding him that whatever happened, he had Harry--that wouldn't change. With that in mind, he allowed exhaustion to take over and he followed Harry into sleep.

* * *

After breakfast the next morning, the boys went back to their rooms to change for swimming. While they were at it, they all jointly decided to go ahead and pick out the clothes they wanted to wear for the audition. Better to cut short beach time than rehearsal time.

Louis easily picked out a pair of gray shorts and a light blue shirt. The shirt was one of his favourites, and he knew it would also pick up the colour of his eyes. He hung the clothes in the closet and turned to where Harry knelt by his suitcase.

Harry seemed at a loss for what to choose, so Louis suggested a pair of dark brown capris, a white t-shirt and a long scarf. Louis remembered Harry wearing a scarf during his original audition, and he thought that had been a great look for Harry--one that bore repeating. Harry immediately hung these clothes next to Louis' in the closet, stating that he trusted Louis to choose the best outfit.

They met up with Liam, Niall, and Zayn and made their way down to the beach. It was really busy already, but they managed to find a spot to lay down their towels all in a row. They wasted no time in stripping off shirts and kicking off shoes to head into the water. Though they tried to convince Zayn to join them, he said he would be just fine staying behind and keeping an eye on their stuff. He'd brought a book with him to read.

Niall and Liam ran ahead while Louis helped Harry thread through the various groups of beachgoers in between their spot and the sea.

As they walked, Harry asked, "It's crowded here today, isn't it? More than it was the other day."

"How can you tell?"

"Our route is way more complicated than it was before, and I can hear a lot of talking, a lot of laughing. More than there was last time," Harry explained.

"It is a lot more crowded today," Louis concurred. "You really do have a terrific ear."

"Lots and lots of practise," Harry responded modestly.

When they reached the water's edge, Louis gave Harry a moment to adjust to the feel of the sand shifting under his feet, then they walked out to where Niall and Liam were already horsing around. The water there was waist deep.

Just like he had the first time, Louis took Harry's hand in his in an effort to keep Harry feeling comfortable in the water. Harry held on tight as the waves washed over them.

"We need a body board," Niall declared. "I'll be right back." Without waiting for the others to comment, he headed back to shore, running when he hit the sand.

While they waited for Niall's return, Liam, Louis, and Harry faced the beach and rode out the waves lazily. The sun was high in the sky, and the contrast between the heat in the air and the cold from the sea was fantastic.

When Niall reappeared, he was carrying two short body boards. He handed one to Louis and kept the other for himself, instantly throwing himself onto it and beginning to ride waves.

"Do you want to try the board, Harry?" Louis asked.

"I'm not sure," Harry said hesitantly.

"I'll be right here, I promise," Louis told him. "It'll be fun. Try it."

Harry still didn't seem entirely convinced, but he held his hand out for the board and let Louis help him position it so he could ride a wave on it. Louis actually held onto the board while Harry gripped the top for dear life. After a couple waves, though, he loosened up and he even told Louis he could let go. After he'd successfully ridden through several wave cycles, he jumped off, called for Louis, and offered him a turn.

Louis made sure Niall let Harry take his elbow--since Liam was taking his own turn with the board--before trying the board out for himself. It was so much fun--Niall had had a great idea.

After a while, he jumped off the board and headed back to where Harry stood with Niall.

"Harry, do you want another go?" Louis called as he got close.

Harry smiled and let go of Niall, reaching out for Louis. "Sure," he said.

Louis was just about to get a hold of Harry's hand when something that felt as sharp as a dagger stabbed his left foot. He screamed and reached down for his now-throbbing-with-intense-pain foot.

"Louis?" Harry's panicked voice came to Louis as if through a tunnel just as Niall and Liam were reaching for him, also calling his name.

"My foot," he ground out from behind gritted teeth.

Moving in tandem, Niall got Louis' left arm under his shoulder while Liam got under Louis' right. As Louis let them take his weight, he caught sight of Harry.

Harry was trying as hard as he could to stand still with the waves breaking around him, Niall's elbow having slipped out of his hand when Niall leaped to help Louis. The look on his face was one of sheer panic. He was all alone in a big open space. Momentarily forgetting his injury, Louis called out to him. "Harry!" He unhooked his right arm from over Liam's shoulder and urged Niall to help him hobble over to where Harry stood, reaching out to grab Harry's hand. "I'm right here," he said in a voice strained by the agony radiating from his foot.

Harry took hold of Louis' hand like it was a lifeline. "Louis, are you okay?"

"I think I cut my foot on something. It hurts like a son of a bitch," Louis explained. "Looks like it's your turn to guide me." Without waiting for Harry to say anything else, he slung his arm around Harry's shoulders so Harry was where Liam had been just a moment ago.

"You got him, Harry?" Liam asked.

Harry nodded.

Liam was out of the water first, and he took charge of forging a path to where Zayn lay, Niall following Liam's lead with Louis whispering directions to Harry. It wasn't pretty--there was a lot of tripping and many "I'm sorry"s to innocent people in their way--but they made it to Zayn in a relatively short period of time.

Zayn took one look at all of them and concluded, "So, time to go?"

The other four nodded as one. Zayn and Liam gathered all of their paraphernalia and led the way off the beach, finding a little grassy area set in between the beach and the street. There, they dumped their stuff onto the ground so they could examine Louis' foot. Harry stayed glued to Louis' side as Zayn and Liam dropped into crouches to see what was paining Louis.

There was definitely some blood on the side of his foot, but more worrisome was that it was swelling up quickly, turning an angry red.

"That does not look good," Liam said. "Maybe we should call someone."

Niall was already on it, pulling out his phone and dialing who Louis could only assume was the _X-Factor_ liaison they had been assigned. Niall moved far enough away from the group that he would be able to hear and explain the situation.

"You should probably sit," Harry commented. "Is there somewhere nearby?"

Liam looked around and spotted a bench set just in front of the wall that separated the grassy area from the beach. "This way." He moved to Louis' left side and helped Louis limp over to the small stone bench. Louis held on to Harry's hand, and Harry dutifully followed. When they got to the bench, Louis sat down gratefully, Harry dropping to sit right next to him.

Niall reappeared to announce, "They're sending two cars. One to drive Louis to hospital, the other to drive us to the villa."

"I want to go to the hospital with you," Harry told Louis quietly.

Louis shook his head. "No. You need to go to the villa with the others to be ready for our audition. We're going to be cutting this awfully close. Besides, I don't want you all alone at the hospital while they figure out what's going on with my foot."

"Louis…." Harry protested.

Louis turned to Harry and took both of his hands in his. "It will make me feel so much better to know that you're with Liam, Zayn, and Niall. They'll take great care of you. Not as great as me, maybe, but close. Okay?"

Harry paused as if he was going to argue more, but then he nodded. "Okay."

Louis smiled. "You can show them where my outfit is, yeah?"

Harry nodded again.

"With any luck, they'll tend to my foot quickly, and I'll make it to the villa with time to spare before we bowl Simon over with our collective awesomeness."

At that moment, a car pulled up and a guy the boys had met briefly back at the villa jumped out and ran over to them. He looked first at Louis, then down at Louis' foot. He hissed in sympathy before asking, "Ready to take that to hospital?"

Louis nodded, taking the shirt Liam handed him and pulling it on over his head. Liam handed Louis' flip flops to the guy, who Louis thought remembered being called Max. Louis locked gazes with Liam, then tipped his head toward Harry meaningfully.

Liam nodded and gave Louis a thumbs up.

"See you back at the villa, Harry," Louis said, leaning over to kiss Harry's cheek.

"Okay," Harry returned, offering a smile that was obviously forced, but sweet all the same. "Take care, Louis."

"You, too." Louis stood, then, Max rushing to help him walk over to the car.

As Louis waited for Max to open the passenger door so he could get in, he looked back at his friends. Harry had slipped on his shirt and was taking his cane from Zayn. He didn't get in the car until he watched Harry take Liam's elbow. He breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed into the passenger seat. Now he could focus his attention on the searing pain in his foot. Harry would be fine.

* * *

Louis had not cut his foot on something. He had been stung by a sea urchin. After a wait of about a half an hour in the A&E at the hospital Max drove him to, a doctor pulled out the barb, put his foot in hot water for an inordinately long time to soak any poison out, and gave him some medicine to bring down the swelling.

It was about one in the afternoon when the doctor finally signed his release papers. Their audition was set for two, so he was cutting it close, but he would make it. He thanked every deity he knew he wasn't going to screw things up for his fledgling band.

When they pulled up the villa's drive and he got out, he couldn't help but smile. His bandmates sat on the front steps of the house waiting for him. Their faces were all dejected, clearly aware that their audition time was fast approaching. Harry looked doubly unhappy, seated on the second step from the bottom right next to Liam, fiddling with the strap of the cane in his lap.

"Lads!" he called out to get their attention, slowly limping toward them on the sidewalk.

It was like watching the sun come out from behind the clouds--smiles all around from the boys on the steps. As Louis watched, Harry reached out for Liam instantly, and Liam happily gave Harry his elbow. Niall and Zayn followed quickly behind, but Liam and Harry got to Louis first. Louis held his hand out, and Liam smoothly lifted Harry's hand from his elbow and gave it to Louis. When Louis pulled Harry in for a hug, Harry held him as if he'd been gone for a week, not just a few hours. The other boys piled on, then, wrapping Louis in an enormous group hug.

"Nice to see you," Louis told them all happily.

When they let him go, they were full of questions about his foot. Louis explained to them that he'd been stung by a sea urchin, but that he would be fine.

Max came up from behind them and reminded them, "You guys have just about forty minutes to be out by the pool for your audition."

"We brought your clothes over from the hotel," Niall told Louis.

It was then that Louis noticed that Harry was, indeed, dressed in the outfit Louis had helped him pick out that morning. "Lead me to it," Louis commanded.

Harry tentatively held out his hand and questioned, "Louis?"

In answer, Louis slipped his elbow into Harry's waiting hand. "Let's go."

Liam, Niall, and Zayn took the lead this time as Harry matched Louis' slower pace to head into the villa. They had left all their stuff in the rehearsal room they had used the day before, including Louis' outfit and toilet kit. They calculated that Louis had time for a shower, and one of Simon's people directed him upstairs.

Twenty minutes later, Louis was showered, dressed, and ready to go. They used their room to rehearse their song a few more times, then it was the moment of truth. Audition time.

They were escorted out by the pool where Simon and Sinitta sat in director's chairs beside the sparkling blue water. As they approached, Simon said, "Hi boys! Ah, I can see which one got stung. What'd you do?"

As they moved into place opposite Simon to perform, Louis answered, "It was a sea urchin."

Simon made a sympathetic face. "Is it painful?"

"Very, very painful," Louis revealed.

"You all right now?" Simon asked.

"Yeah. Good," Louis told him.

"Yeah?" Simon confirmed.

Louis repeated, "Yeah."

"Are you feeling confident, yeah?" Simon asked the group at large.

The boys answered with a chorus of "Yeah"s.

"So, you boys ready?" Simon asked.

"Could we have just one minute?" Louis asked.

Simon nodded magnanimously and turned to Sinitta to comment on something while the boys made a huddle and turned to Louis.

"What is it?" Liam asked.

They hadn't been out by the pool area before, and Louis just wanted to make sure Harry was oriented. "Harry, the pool's on the right about a metre away. Even when you move forward for your part, you'll be nowhere near the edge. Okay?"

Harry nodded. "Got it."

"Are we ready to do this thing, then?" Liam checked.

"Ready," they all said.

As they got back into their line in their predetermined order--Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry, Louis--Liam nodded to the musicians there to accompany them. They played their introductory notes, which got Simon's attention.

Simon nodded, and they were off.

The song went beautifully. The best they'd done it yet. When they were done, they bowed, Simon said, "Thanks, see ya," and it became a waiting game.

They thanked the musicians and went back into the house to collect their things and get a car to take them back to the hotel. After all the excitement of the morning and the audition, they decided to just relax in one of their rooms for the rest of the day.

Since Louis was the injured party, they congregated in Louis and Harry's room and ordered up a late lunch via room service. Louis and Harry took one bed and Zayn, Liam, and Niall the other, then they found a truly awful movie to put on in the background while they ate and sized up their chances of getting through to the live shows.

"Simon looked pleased, I think," Liam said.

"Did he?" Harry asked. "How could you tell?"

"He just had this little smile on his face and his eyes kind of said 'good job,'" Liam explained. "Would you lads agree?"

"I was trying to pay attention to him while we were singing, as well," Louis put in. "He seemed pretty into it. Sinitta, too."

"I definitely think they both were enjoying it," Niall agreed.

"What about you, Zayn?" Liam inquired. "Did you get a good vibe from Simon?"

Zayn nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. I think he was into it."

"I think we sounded really good together," Niall added.

"We tried to practise without you, Louis," Harry told him. "But it didn't sound right without your voice."

Louis smiled and squeezed Harry's thigh. "I was really worried I wasn't going to make it back when they told me my foot needed to soak for at least an hour."

"The sting was pretty serious?" Harry asked.

"They're poisonous, so yes, but I got to the hospital in plenty of time," Louis assured him.

"I'm glad. I was really worried about you," Harry said, his voice tinged with relief.

"I'm okay," Louis returned. "I promise. My foot is just a little red and swollen. No big deal."

Harry nodded at the same time that room service knocked. A few minutes later they were feasting on sandwiches and crisps.

When they were done, they found a football game on the television. Harry nestled into Louis' side and fell asleep just minutes into the first half, his breathing deep and even and warm on Louis' chest. Zayn and Niall passed out a few minutes after that, leaving Liam and Louis to have a little one-on-one time, as it were.

"He wasn't kidding when he said he was really worried about you," Liam said softly. "He was so distracted the entire time you were gone."

Louis smiled. "Thanks for taking over. With him."

Liam shook his head. " No problem. I know you guys have a thing going on--which is great," he hastened to say. "But I think it's good he knows the rest of us are here for him, too."

Louis nodded. He quirked an eyebrow at Liam. "Do you think I need to let go a little?"

Liam shrugged. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Louis felt himself blushing. "Yeah, I think I am."

"I think he's in love with you, too," Liam ventured. "And it makes sense that he would rely on you, both because of that and because he met you first."

"I sense a 'but' there."

Liam nodded. "But…. We're all in this together, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Then maybe it's okay for someone else to help him out, once in a while."

"You're right, I know."

"It's going to have to come from you, Louis," Liam went on. "He takes all his cues from you."

"He does?" Louis looked down at Harry, brushing a curl from his forehead almost unconsciously.

"You know he does. And if you make out like it's okay for Niall, Zayn, or me to, say, guide him, he'll get used to it."

Louis hesitated.

"It's not like I'm saying all the time," Liam assured him. "I'm not trying to take him away from you. Not sure I could do that anyway. He's pretty far gone. I'm just saying it's good to have back-up."

Louis nodded. "Okay. If we make it through to the live shows--"

"When we make it through to the live shows," Liam corrected.

"Okay. When. That can be something we--Harry and I--work on. Good?"

"Good."

Liam and Louis turned their attention to the football game, then, while the others napped. When the game went into overtime, however, the two boys were loud enough that they woke Harry and Niall.

"What on Earth is going on?" Niall inquired sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry," Louis said. "Overtime."

Harry stretched himself out along Louis' side. "What time is it?"

"Nearly six," Louis told him.

"I'm hungry," Niall announced.

Liam, Harry, and Louis all groaned simultaneously.

"Of course you are," Liam noted. He gestured toward Zayn. "So, work on Sleeping Beauty there and we can go find some dinner."

"As soon as the match is over," Louis said.

"As soon as the match is over," Liam conceded.

It took the remainder of the match, anyhow, to wake Zayn. Once he was up, though, they all asked Louis if he would be up for a walk to find dinner. Louis got up to hobble around the room a little and declared he thought as long as it wasn't too far, he could stand to get some fresh air.

They all freshened up a bit, then headed out. This time, instead of just wandering around to find a good, nearby place to eat, they asked for a recommendation from the concierge. She recommended a restaurant that served local cuisine that was just around the corner.

The concierge knew her stuff because the food the boys got was amazing. At the onset of the meal they made a pledge to not talk about the audition or any potential results. Instead, they conversed about which football teams they supported, cities they had vacationed in, places they wished they could vacation in, and a handful of other topics that came and went like the breeze blowing gently around them at their patio table.

They decided to forego a walk on the beach that evening--Louis confessing it might be a while before he could face the sea again--and just walked back to the hotel for another evening in.

They gathered in Harry and Louis' room again--in deference to Louis' still aching foot--and watched trashy action movies until they were starting to fall asleep. Liam, Zayn, and Niall said good night, and Harry and Louis engaged in what was beginning to feel like a nighttime ritual to Louis. Harry took the washroom first, then Louis gingerly showered while trying not to irritate his foot. Finally, they spooned together in bed, Louis reaching over Harry to turn off the light, bathing the room in soft moonlight.

"I'm really glad you're okay," Harry told Louis with utter sincerity.

"Me, too," Louis agreed, pulling Harry in tight. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"It's okay. You didn't mean to get hurt."

"I'm also sorry I had to leave you."

Harry shook his head. "That's okay, too. It's not like you really had a choice. And I was fine. Liam, Zayn, and Niall were great, if a little over…cautious."

"Even I'm still learning. They'll learn, too."

"I know. I'm very lucky to have all of you. I can't imagine trying to do this all by myself." Harry shuddered at the thought.

"Me, neither."

After a moment of silence, Harry whispered, "Louis?"

"Yeah?"

"What if we don't make it through tomorrow?"

"Then we try something else," Louis said smoothly. "But I have a good feeling. I think we did what we needed to do today and it's going to be a yes tomorrow."

"That would be amazing."

"It really would." As soon as the words were out, he couldn't stop a terrific yawn from escaping. It had been such a long day.

There was a smile in Harry's voice when he said, "I'm keeping you awake."

"I like letting you keep me awake," Louis responded. 

"But you're exhausted."

"I am." He shifted his head so it rested on Harry's shoulder.

"Good night, then. Sweet dreams."

"You, too. Night."

Louis didn't remember another minute before he fell asleep.

* * *

Louis' foot felt so much better by the next morning. He wasn't able to put on his favourite espadrilles--it would be sandals for the day, to give his wound enough air--but he was ready to hear whether or not One Direction would make it to the live shows. More than ready.

Louis dressed in shorts and a plain white t-shirt and Harry in long khaki pants and a blue plaid long-sleeved shirt before they headed out to meet the other boys for breakfast.

They were a sombre group that morning, all too aware that this could be the last meal they had together as One Direction. They had all received the message that a car would be coming for them at ten to take them to the villa for the results, and they spent the short time in between finishing breakfast and their pick-up time sitting in the lobby trying to talk about anything but the results.

When they got to the villa, they were escorted to an area in the back where there was a low bench just big enough for them all to sit on. There, an interviewer--who introduced herself as Kira Eggleston--awaited them. She told them to relax and just be as honest as they could. They agreed, and she motioned for the camera man to start rolling.

Kira smiled widely and began, "Congratulations on making it this far, boys!"

They chorused their thanks at her.

"So, how do you feel your audition went yesterday?" she asked.

Liam cleared his throat and answered, "I think it went really well. We worked really hard on the song. We want this to work. We want to make it to the live shows. I think we did the best we could yesterday, and now it's up to Simon to let us know if it was enough."

"How has your experience so far affected your desire to make it further?"

Harry raised his hand shyly, indicating he'd like to handle this one. "Well, your hunger for it grows and grows as you get through each stage of the competition. It's just the biggest stage to be told yes or no, and it's one word that can change your life forever because it won't be the same if you get a yes, and if you get a no, then it's straight back to doing stuff that kinda drives you to come here in the first place."

Louis and the other three boys just stared for a moment at Harry. It was easily the most he'd offered in any public conversation they'd had since being put together as a group. Louis grinned and squeezed Harry's knee, hoping to convey his pride in Harry's response. He jumped in to say, "Harry's completely right. The further we get, the more we want this."

"So, now that you've performed together, how do you feel about Simon having made the decision to put you all in a group?" Kira went on to ask.

"I think it's brilliant," Niall enthused. "We are having such a great time together. I can't even imagine what this would be like to do alone. Terrifying!"

"I think it was the best decision he could have made," Louis added. "It's really great to have other people to share this with. It would be really boring to be here all by myself."

Next Kira wanted to know, "What would you say has been the biggest challenge of being put together as a group under these circumstances?"

The boys all pondered the question for a moment. Zayn was the first one to think of a response. "Well, since we hadn't sung at all together before Simon put us in a group, we had to hope that we actually sounded good together. We got together a few weeks ago at Harry's stepdad's house and practised some songs. It was a relief to find out we sounded all right together."

"We also didn't know each other very well when we were made into a group," Liam told her. "We used most of that time at Harry's getting to know each other."

"And how are you getting along?" Kira asked by way of a follow-up.

"Super," Niall said at the same time as Louis said, "Fantastic!"

Kira smiled before a more serious look took over her visage. "So the biggest challenge hasn't been Harry's disability?"

Louis was taken aback by Kira's choice of words. He had literally never thought of Harry as "disabled," and judging by the looks of horror crossing Liam, Niall, and Zayn's faces, he'd have been willing to bet none of the other boys had either. If the blush on his face was any indication, Harry was embarrassed by this new line of questioning, but he waited patiently to see what his bandmates had to say, seemingly unperturbed by her terminology.

Liam was the first one to recover enough to answer. "Absolutely not," he said unequivocally. "Harry's an amazing singer, and him being blind hasn't really had any impact on our singing together."

"I suspect the bigger challenge is going to be getting people to understand that the fact that Harry's blind isn't really a big deal," Louis added. "It has nothing to do with what we're working on here, and I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us, Harry included, when we say we hope everyone can focus on the music, not on the fact that one of us can't see." Louis moved his hand from Harry's thigh to Harry's forearm, patting it. As he did so, he checked out Harry's face. Finding a small smile there told Louis he'd said the right thing.

Kira was nothing if not persistent. Louis guessed that she had been encouraged to spend as much time as she could on the "blind angle." She set her sights on Harry and inquired, "So, Harry, tell us, has your disability has made any part of this experience difficult?"

Louis winced at Kira's continued insistence on referring to Harry as disabled, but Harry gamely smiled and shook his head. "Not really. Not for my part, anyway. The lads have all been great. Really helpful. I mean, I do need a guide in unfamiliar places, and if something's not in Braille, I need it read to me, so they've all been amazing about helping me out with those kinds of things. But I've been singing a really long time, so that part of it's been easy. We mesh really well, I think."

As one, Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn all stared Kira down, willing her to change the subject. Thankfully, she picked up on this and, in an overly bright tone, asked, "So, who's the hardest person in the group to get along with?"

The all looked at each other and shrugged. "No one, really," Liam said. "I think we got lucky. We all got on really well straight away. No egos here."

The rest of the boys nodded their agreement of Liam's assessment.

"Well, boys, I'm getting the signal that Simon is just about ready for you," Kira told them. "Thanks for sitting down to talk with me, and good luck!"

"Thanks," they all chorused one more time.

Once the camera had been turned off, the band all politely shook Kira's hand and thanked her for interviewing them. When Kira left to go off to talk to another band still in the running, one of Simon's aides took her place to tell them to walk back to the pool area where they had sung "Torn" just the day before. They found Simon waiting for them there alone, ready to reveal their fate. "Hi guys," he greeted them brightly.

"Hi," they all said.

"Do you understand why I did this in the first place?" Simon asked.

Louis knew that Simon meant putting them together in a group, saving them from leaving the competition after boot camp. He and the other boys nodded, adding scattered "Yeah"s.

Sure enough, Simon went on to explain, "Because I think once we got through to the boot camp stage there were weaknesses, which is why we made the decision about all of you individually. To a point, you came in at a disadvantage because you didn't have the time the other groups had."

Louis' stomach felt like it was turning over inside his body. He understood that Simon had to stretch this part out--that made for good television--but knowing that didn't make it any easier to stand there and listen to it.

"On the more positive note," Simon continued, "when it worked, it worked. My head is saying it's a risk. My heart is saying that you deserve a shot, and that's why it's been difficult. So I've made a decision."

After yet another dramatic pause, Simon announced, "Guys, I've gone with my heart. You're through."

Immediately, the five boys whooped with joy and drew each other in for a big group hug.

Harry slipped out of the hug after a moment and tentatively called Simon's name. Simon walked over and wrapped Harry in a hug, then Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn joined them in another group hug. When they broke apart, Harry was crying into his shirt sleeve. Louis assumed this was from a combination of stress, relief, and happiness.

Simon said, "I am so impressed with all of you. I mean that."

The boys thanked him profusely, then Louis sidled up to Harry. Gently, he reached out to lower Harry's arm so that he could see his face. "You okay, Harry?"

Harry sniffled, then smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. It's just…." He seemed unable to put into words what he was feeling.

Louis got it, though. "I know. It's amazing, yeah?"

"Really amazing," Harry agreed.

Louis offered Harry his elbow and together, they trailed Zayn, Niall, and Liam as they left the pool area and walked up the hill behind the villa to the rise which overlooked the sea. There, they were met by _X-Factor_ host Dermot O'Leary. With a great big smile, he proclaimed, "One Direction are through to the live studio finals of _The X-Factor_!"

Another round of cheers erupted, and Dermot backed away to allow the boys another chance at a celebratory group hug.

When the boys separated and composed themselves just a little--though the grins on their faces were still huge--Dermot asked them, "So, how does it feel?"

"It feels amazing," Louis told him, echoing his earlier thought while he captured Harry's hand in his.

Harry also echoed himself when he said, "It feels really amazing."

"We're so happy and so grateful," Niall put in. "This is the best result we could have hoped for."

Zayn's contribution was, "This is wicked cool."

Liam was the last one to share his exultation. "We're so excited. I know we're all so ready to get started and kill the competition."

"Well, I wish you all the luck in the world," Dermot said. "Enjoy your moment, and we'll see you in a few weeks in London."

As Dermot drifted away, Liam asked the other boys, "So, how should we celebrate?"

They all pondered their options for a minute before Louis said, "We need to think of something really good. Why don't we go back to the hotel to plot something?"

"We can order some food, too, yeah?" Niall piped up. "I'm starving."

"Of course you are," Harry commented with a grin.

"I'll go tell them we're ready for the car," Liam said. Without even waiting for anyone to say anything, he jogged away, back toward the villa.

The others followed leisurely behind, ready to work on a spectacular idea to help them celebrate the most spectacular day of all their lives. And, of course, to get lunch.

* * *

Back at the hotel, the boys decided they were not in the mood for hotel food again. Liam, Niall, and Zayn volunteered to go find something to bring back to have for lunch while Louis and Harry got some alone time in their room.

They curled up together on their bed, Harry resting his head on Louis' shoulder, Louis' arm wrapped around him snugly, a lazy smile on both of their faces.

"It's been a good day, yeah?" Louis said, pulling absently on one of Harry's curls.

"The best," Harry concurred. "I'm so excited we made it through."

"Me, too." After a moment, Louis said, "Harry, can I ask you something?"

"That sounds serious," Harry noted.

"Not too serious," Louis promised. "I was just thinking about that interview we did before Simon told us we'd made it."

"Yeah?"

"Does it…?" Louis stumbled over just how to phrase what he wanted to say. "Does it bother you to be called…'disabled?'"

Harry shrugged. "It certainly wasn't the first time."

"It was the first time I've heard it. In relation to you, I mean," Louis told him, his voice betraying a little of the horror he'd felt at hearing Harry described in such a manner.

Harry sat up a little straighter so he could turn his face in Louis' direction, moving out of Louis' embrace to do so. It was always a little unnerving when it appeared as if Harry were looking right at him, while knowing he wasn't. But at the same time, as always, Louis was struck by just how gorgeous Harry's emerald green eyes were, working or not. "It's not a big deal. It's just a word, Louis."

"It's a horrible word. You're not," Louis insisted vehemently.

Harry smiled softly, though the look on his face said he did not quite believe Louis.

"That word implies there's something wrong with you," Louis tried to explain his thought process.

"Well, to be fair, I can't see," Harry reasoned.

"You've done everything the rest of us have. You tried out for _X-Factor_ , you made it to boot camp, you got put in the band with us, you made it possible for us to really get to know each other before we came here, then we all got through to the live shows together. I just don't think anyone should be describing you as 'disabled.'"

Harry reached out to find Louis' face. When he did, he snaked a hand behind Louis' neck and pulled him in for a kiss. When he let Louis go, he said, "You're sweet."

"It's only the truth."

"I'm less worried about them using that word than I am that they're trying to make this about me being blind," Harry admitted. "I don't want that to be all anyone can talk about. It's really boring, to start with, and it's really unfair to the rest of you."

"We won't let that happen," Louis assured him, pressing another kiss to Harry's lips. "Anyway, I guess it's just something everyone's going to have to get used to. Eventually, they'll all see how amazing you are, just like me and the other lads do."

Harry smiled beatifically and Louis couldn't help but kiss him again. And again. And again. And they'd have kept kissing if someone (or, by the sound of it, someones) hadn't started banging on the door separating their room from their bandmates'.

Louis sighed and crawled off the bed to let Liam, Niall, and Zayn in.

"We found Spanish food!" Niall announced happily, setting a bag on the desk.

Zayn had another bag he placed next to the one Niall had been carrying, and Liam carried bottles of soda he distributed so that each of the boys had one.

Once they all had plates of food, they started brainstorming ways to celebrate their victory at Judges' Houses. They bandied about several ideas: a fancy, expensive dinner, finding an arcade and spending a fortune on video games, playing some kind of prank on the hotel. They definitely agreed that they had to do a fancy dinner. They'd made it to the live shows of _The X-Factor_. They deserved a fantastic dinner.

While Zayn and Liam were all for the idea of finding somewhere to play video games, Louis argued that that wouldn't be very fair to Harry. Once Louis pointed that out, they agreed it wasn't the best idea.

Pranking the hotel would be fun, but Liam pointed out that if they were caught, that part would not be nearly as fun and had the potential to get them in trouble with a multitude of people, beginning with their parents and ending with the _X-Factor_ staff.

They were stumped and all silently finished their food while each of them wracked their brains for other ways to celebrate. They were piling their trash back into the carry bags when Louis stopped what he was doing to announce, "A midnight swim in the ocean! Clothing optional."

The other boys did not take long to offer their opinion of Louis' suggestion. Niall started it off with, "Brilliant!"

Liam nodded and said, "Classic. I'm in."

Zayn's response was, "That sounds wicked cool. Great idea, Louis!"

Louis looked to the only person who hadn't commented. "Harry, what do you think?"

Harry grinned widely. "I think it sounds like a lot of fun. I'll do it."

"Yay! We have a plan, lads!"

They killed the rest of the afternoon with a nap. Once they had eaten lunch and come up with a plan they were all happy with, they realised how exhausted they were, and they all retired to their beds for a siesta.

When they woke up, it was nearing time for dinner, and they all showered and changed into the nicest clothes they had brought with them. Then, since she had done such a good job the last time, they asked the concierge for a recommendation for a good, high-end restaurant at which to eat dinner. She told them there was a really good Italian place a short cab ride away, and she called for a taxi for them

They crammed into one cab--fitting once Liam agreed to ride shotgun--and were soon at the restaurant.

The maitre'd looked a little askance at five teenage boys--one of them blind--coming into his restaurant. But when they politely asked for a table and didn't seem inclined to cause trouble, he showed them to a table as they'd requested.

After perusing the menu (and reading it to Harry), they all agreed to order five different kinds of pasta and share them. Since only one of them was old enough to drink, they toasted to their success with sparkling water. Louis promised to try to procure some champagne at a later time for a proper toast.

The pasta was incredible, and they ordered dessert the same way, five different ones to share. Then, stuffed, they caught another cab back to the hotel.

They decided to pass the time until it was close to midnight watching the first movie they could find in English, an old Sylvester Stallone movie called _Demolition Man_. They took turns, as had become their easy habit, in describing the action for Harry.

When the movie credits began rolling, they deemed it late enough to go ahead and get in their swim trunks and gather towels for their midnight invasion of the sea.

The beach was not crowded when they arrived. There was one group of teenagers making a bonfire on the higher part of the beach and two or three couples taking a late night stroll down by the breakers. The boys decided that they should walk a little bit down the beach to try to find a more secluded area where they could swim.

The air was still warm, and the water was only vaguely cool as they walked through it to find the perfect spot. Niall skipped ahead, energized by their success and the late hour. Zayn and Liam walked side by side, heads bent together as they debated one thing or another.

Louis guided Harry, and the two of them lagged behind just a little bit behind the others, chatting softly to each other.

"It's really pretty out here at night," Louis commented.

"Oh?" Harry asked, his tone indicating genuine interest.

"The sky is completely clear. No clouds whatsoever," Louis described. "We're far enough from a city that you can actually see stars."

"It sounds nice." Harry smiled softly, his face bathed in moonlight.

Louis went on, "The moon is almost full, so everything on the beach is lit with this…ethereal light."

"Ethereal?"

"Hm." Louis tried to think of a good way to explain. He came up with, "Otherworldly. Everything has this blue glow to it."

"Even you?" Harry joked.

"Even you." Louis stopped their forward movement long enough to kiss Harry's cheek.

They walked for a short while before Louis asked, "Harry?"

"What?"

"Does it bother you ever? Not being able to see?" He turned to look at Harry, to gauge his reaction to the question.

Harry shrugged. "Sometimes. It would definitely make a lot of things easier, but I'm pretty used to it, I guess."

"What about when someone describes something to you, like I did just now? That doesn't bother you, does it?" Louis hoped fervently that it didn't.

With a shake of his head and a smile, Harry told him, "No. It's nice. I mean, I can't picture things the way that you can, but it does give me some context."

Louis smiled. "Good. So I can do that once in a while, describe things to you?"

"Sure. I'd like that."

"Awesome."

They hadn't walked all that far from the hotel beach when they finally came across a deserted strip of beach. Niall was the first to divest himself of his clothes, dropping all of them into a pile with his pilfered towel and running headlong into the sea.

Liam and Zayn were not far behind, dumping their shoes, t-shirts, trunks, and towels right next to Niall's. They waded in after the Irishman, and a splash fight immediately ensued.

"So, what do you think, Harry? Swim trunks or no swim trunks?" Louis inquired.

"Did the others strip?"

"They did," Louis confirmed. "But you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Are you?"

"I will if you will."

A grin took over Harry's face. "Then let's." He didn't wait for Louis to answer; he toed off his shoes, yanked off his shirt, then pulled down his shorts and dropped them next to where they stood, dropping his towel on top.

Louis tried not to stare; right that moment, it didn't seem fair when Harry couldn't. Instead, Louis simply followed suit, shedding his clothes. Once they were both naked as jaybirds, Louis took Harry's hand and led him into the water to join the others.

They horsed around together in the sea for close to an hour, just enjoying being together, secure in the knowledge that they would get to continue to sing together. Perhaps they could even take the competition. Having won the day, they all felt invincible. But there was a lot of work to be done, and it started the minute they waded out of the ocean, dried themselves off, dressed again, and headed back to the hotel.

The live shows were just a few weeks away. There was plenty to do.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving into the _X-Factor_ House....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, continued thanks for the lovely feedback in the form of kudos and comments. I adore each and every one.
> 
> Second, this chapter contains my single favourite sequence in the story and also the biggest chunk I wrote in one day (thank you, Winter of Endless Snow, for the Snow Day I wrote that chunk on). I hope you all enjoy reading this section as much as I did writing it. (This chapter also features the midway point of the story, so my congratulations to those of you who have made it this far!)
> 
> Finally, I had several people request that I consider posting more than once a week. That was not possible until I finished a final line edit of the story (bringing my final word count to a whopping 145,486). However, I managed to complete that line edit just last week, so beginning this week, I will be posting a new chapter every Monday *and* Thursday until I post the final chapter.
> 
> Back to the story now....

The end of August and the first three weeks of September felt like a blur to Louis. There was a lot of planning about what to pack in the event he was in London until December, a lot of hanging out with friends (without telling them about the outcome of his _X-Factor_ experience thus far), a lot of Skyping, texting, and phone calls with Harry, and a lot of family time to store in his memory before he was, potentially, away for a long stretch of time.

Finally the day came for them to move into the _X-Factor_ house with all the other contestants. Louis was so excited that he woke up uncharacteristically early and did some last minute packing, throwing things into suitcases and boxes on the off chance he might need them.

His mum was going to drive him down and help him get settled, so Louis packed the car with his things and then set about urging his mother to get up and at 'em.

The drive down to London seemed endless, but eventually they pulled up to the address Louis had been sent, the address Louis and his bandmates would call home until they either won or were booted from _The X-Factor_. Louis jumped out of the car and ran into the house ahead of his mum to see who else had already arrived.

He discovered that only Liam had arrived, having been dropped off by his parents several hours earlier. Liam showed Louis and his mother up to the room they would be sharing. It contained two sets of bunk beds and a single bed, along with a couple dressers. Liam proposed that, just like at the bungalow, they should wait until all five of them were there to make any decisions about who would get which bed. Louis readily agreed.

He did start carrying his stuff inside, with an assist from Liam. They put Louis' things next to Liam's in one corner of the room until they could sort out who would keep their things where. Then they retreated downstairs to wait for the others to arrive.

While they waited, they met two of the other contestants, Matt Cardle and Cher Lloyd, who both seemed lovely. Louis thought they would be excellent housemates. Other contestants filtered in here and there, but once Louis got a text from Harry saying that Anne had just informed him they were within London's city limits, Louis was only focused on Harry getting there.

He was chatting absently with Liam and Jay in the main room of the house when the front door opened, revealing Harry and Anne. Louis jumped up when Liam was in mid-sentence. "Harry!"

A huge grin split Harry's face at the greeting. "Louis!"

Louis flung himself into Harry's arms, oblivious to the cheeky grins from Anne, Jay, and Liam at the boys' enthusiasm.

When the two boys pulled apart, Louis said, "I'm so glad you made it."

"Me, too," Harry returned.

"Hi, Anne," Louis greeted belatedly.

"Hi, Louis." She looked past Louis to wave at the other people she knew. "Hi, Jay. Liam."

They waved back as Louis asked Harry, "Do you want a tour first or to bring your things inside first?"

"A tour," Harry answered definitively, already folding up his cane and handing it to Louis, who set it on the table next to the front door.

Liam stood and walked over to offer, "I can start bringing in your stuff while Louis shows you around."

Harry smiled. "That would be great. Thanks, Li."

"Sure. No problem."

As Louis was giving Harry his elbow to commence the house tour, Anne gestured for Liam to follow her to the car.

"It's a huge house, Harry," Louis began. "Totally amazing."

"Okay. Where are we now?"

"Sort of an all-purpose room," Louis said, starting forward. He showed Harry where the sofas and chairs were, as well as the television and tables, then they moved into the next room. "This is, I guess, a play room. There are a couple sofas and a bunch of beanbag chairs. Oh, and a Wii."

"Cool," Harry commented. "But it sounds like a maze."

"It is a bit." Nonetheless, Louis carefully guided Harry in a circuit of the room, making sure Harry knew where all the obstacles were. He guessed they were going to have to have a conversation with all the housemates about not moving any of the furniture, or at the very least moving things back if they did.

As they walked from place to place, Louis noticed Harry counting under his breath. He hadn't ever heard him do that before and asked him what it was he was doing.

Harry smiled and explained, "Counting steps. I don't always remember, but it can help a lot when I actually do. Hopefully we'll be here long enough that I'll just get to know it, though, since it's hard to have so many numbers swimming around in my head."

"I hope so, too," Louis said.

Next, they moved into the kitchen, where Harry traced the edges of both the island and the counters which occupied two of the walls of the room. "It's big."

"There's a huge table over here." Louis led him to the other side of the room, where many of them would be able to sit at once and eat, if they so chose.

Harry walked the perimeter of that, too, counting steps and commenting on how many chairs there were. "Is there an army staying here?"

Louis chuckled. "I know there are sixteen acts, so it is a lot of people."

After they'd explored the whole kitchen, they found the laundry room and the bathroom before discovering a practise room with a piano and a jukebox. "I wonder what we'll fight over more, the Wii or the practise room?" Harry joked.

"I'm betting the Wii," Louis said sagely.

Next, they briefly stepped out the back door. "It's like being out in the country," Louis told Harry. "There are literal rolling hills behind the house. All green and pretty. Lots of trees."

"In the middle of London?" Harry seemed surprised.

"Yep. We must've found the ritzy section of the city where they still have nature."

Harry smiled and hauled in a deep breath. "It smells fantastic. Like being outside back at home."

When they'd had their fill of fresh air--for now--they went back inside and headed upstairs to check out the bedrooms. There were labels on all the doors. "All the groups have their own room. The single acts all seem to be sharing in groups of two or three. And there are a couple washrooms that I think we all have to share."

"Great," Harry commented with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"Hopefully it won't be too bad."

Louis walked Harry through both washrooms before starting back at the top of the stairs so Harry could count steps and doors. Finally, they reached the door marked "1Direction." "This is us," Louis announced. "One Direction. Although they spelled it with a number 'one' instead of the word 'one.'"

"How dare they?" Harry scolded, though he smiled at the same time. Louis sensed that Harry was just as jazzed to be there as Louis himself was.

Louis threw open the door, but didn't walk inside quite yet. "There are two sets of bunk beds and a single bed. One set of bunk beds is right in front of us, the other is to our left against the wall close to us. The single bed is off to the left, too, but against the far wall. There's one bedside table by the bunk beds in front of us, and there are two racks that we can use for hanging clothes, one is just to our left, the other is on the far wall. The windows have deep sills that we can probably use for storage, too."

Harry nodded. "Sounds good."

"Ready to go in?" Louis checked.

"Yes."

They walked in and Harry took his time getting a feel for the dimensions of the room and where the furniture was placed. Louis walked patiently at his side while Harry traced the edges of all the objects Louis had described. The look of concentration on Harry's face told Louis that Harry was taking great care to really memorise this space they would call home for the foreseeable future.

"Who's sleeping where?" Harry asked.

"Liam and I thought we should wait until everyone was here to decide. Do you have a preference?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, we can haggle over it later," Louis said easily. "Ready to go back downstairs?"

"Yes. Liam has been entertaining our mums for plenty long enough, I imagine, if he's finished hauling in my things." Harry grinned, no doubt imagining, as Louis was, poor Liam trapped between Jay and Anne and having to listen to all their advice and warnings about living in the big, bad city.

When they arrived back in the main room, though, Liam appeared quite happy. He was sitting on one of the sofas right in between Anne and Jay, but he seemed to be having a grand time. All three looked up when Harry and Louis came down the stairs.

"All done?" Anne wondered aloud.

"Yes. Louis has shown me every centimetre of the house," Harry informed her. "We get to share a room, all five of us."

Anne smiled, as did Jay. "Better you than me," Anne said. "I would not want to share a room with four teenage boys."

"Oh, they'll have a fine time," Jay countered. "Just don't get yourselves into too much trouble."

Harry, Louis, and Liam all snickered.

"So," Anne continued. "Liam got all of your things inside, Harry. You should be all set."

"We should probably leave these boys to get settled," Jay said, though her tone was laced with reluctance.

If Jay was reluctant, Anne was clearly even more so. Louis, of course, had no experience in leaving your child alone in a big city for the first time, especially your blind child, but he had great sympathy for her nonetheless.

He was about to open his mouth to offer some reassurances when the front door opened and an older woman entered the house, placing a bag and a purse down just inside the door. Louis wasn't great at judging ages, but he'd have guessed she was in her late 40s, early 50s. He vaguely recalled seeing her at boot camp, though at the time he was rather more intently focused on getting himself and Harry through.

With a bright smile, the woman walked over to introduce herself to the little group assembled there in the front room. "Hi there. I'm Mary Byrne. I'm assuming some of you will be my housemates for the next little while."

Liam took it upon himself to say, "We're part of One Direction. I'm Liam Payne, this is Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles." Liam shook her hand, then Louis and Harry--prompted by Louis subtly bumping Harry's arm--followed suit. "There are two more of us, but they're not here yet."

"Harry, I remember you from boot camp. It's lovely to meet all three of you," Mary said. She turned to Jay and Anne, still smiling warmly, "Which ones belong to you?"

Jay pointed. "Louis' mine."

"And Harry's mine," Anne told her.

"You must both be very proud," Mary said as she shook the women's hands.

"We are," Anne and Jay assured her.

"Nervous about leaving them?" Mary asked next.

Anne and Jay both nodded somewhat sheepishly.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I promise that I'll keep an eye on them for you for as long as I'm here," she vowed. "I'm a mum, too, so I know about being a little protective over your babies."

"Thanks," Anne said sincerely. "It would be nice to know someone's going to be here to check on them."

"Absolutely," Jay agreed. "Thanks so much."

"My pleasure," Mary replied. "I should find my room and start to get settled."

Louis pointed her in the direction of the stairway. "The bedrooms are just up that way."

"Thanks." She grabbed her bags and headed up the stairs, stopping briefly to say hello to Cher and Matt, who had been busy bonding on one of the couches in the main room.

"So," Jay got everyone's attention, "I guess we should really go now."

Liam made a move to give the mothers and sons room to say goodbye, but Jay reached out and pulled Liam into a hug. "You take care now, Liam. Good luck."

Liam was beaming when Anne likewise pulled him into her arms. "Have a good time, Liam."

"Thanks," he told them before heading over to where Cher and Matt were still chatting.

Anne hugged Louis and Jay hugged Harry first, offering words of luck and asking them to take care of each other.

Then as Anne took Harry in her arms for a long hug, Jay did the same with Louis. "I'm so proud of you, Boo. Do your best, be happy, and don't get yourself into too much trouble."

Louis nodded into her shoulder.

When she pushed him away to look him in the eye, she added, "Call me once in a while, okay? Let me know how it's going?"

"I will," Louis promised.

"And I'll be here every weekend," she made her own promise.

"I'm counting on it."

She gave him one last squeeze, then let him go. When she did, Louis saw that Anne was still holding Harry tightly to her.

Louis could just make out what she was saying. "Take care of yourself, baby. Ask for help if you need it, okay?"

"I will, Mum," Harry murmured back.

"And call me."

"I will, Mum," he repeated.

Finally, she let him go only to grip his face so she could pull him down and kiss his cheek. "I love you, Harry."

"I love you, too, Mum." Louis could hear a little catch in Harry's voice and knew Harry was trying hard not to fall apart and cry.

Jay gently wrapped her arm around Anne's shoulders at this point. "Why don't you and I take my car and head into the city to find someplace to eat a late lunch?"

Anne smiled. "That sounds great."

"Okay, then. Bye, boys!"

Louis opened the door for them, ushering them outside, and saying, "Bye! We love you."

When he closed the door, he took one look at Harry and pulled him into a fierce hug. Harry clung to him for just a moment, but then let go, wiping at his eyes as surreptitiously as he could.

"You okay?" Louis asked him softly.

Harry responded with a small nod.

Louis did not have time for any more questions, for it was at this moment that Niall entered the house, announcing, "This place looks sick!"

The next little while was a flurry of activity as more and more of the housemates arrived and there were introductions to be made, suitcases and boxes to haul upstairs, and rooms to be settled into.

Zayn arrived about an hour after Niall, and by that time, Liam, Louis, Harry, and Niall all had their things up in their bedroom. Once Zayn's things were added to the pile stacked against the far wall of the room and on a couple of the beds, they made a circle on the floor to discuss sleeping arrangements.

Liam opened the discussion with, "So, does anybody have any strong preferences for or against any of the beds?"

Harry nervously cleared his throat and said, "It might be unwise for me to have a top bunk."

While the others all chuckled good-naturedly, Liam agreed, "Yeah, we don't want you to get hurt."

"Whenever I've slept in a bunk bed, I end up bumping my head on the bed above," Zayn commented. "Would that be a problem, too, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I've never slept on a bunk bed before."

"Why don't we not take a chance and let Harry have the single?" Louis suggested.

"I don't have to have the single," Harry immediately protested. "Someone else might want it."

"No, that's fine with me," Niall said.

"Me, too," Zayn said.

"It's yours, Harry," Liam declared. "No arguments."

Harry smiled softly. "Okay. Thanks."

"I'll take a top bunk," Zayn offered.

"Me, too," Liam told them.

"I guess that puts us in the bottom bunks, Niall," Louis pointed out somewhat unnecessarily.

"Cool." Niall grinned.

"Okay, now that we've got that sorted, should there be any ground rules?" Liam looked around the circle at each of them, opening the floor for discussion.

It was silent for a moment, then Harry again nervously cleared his throat. "It would be really helpful if the floor was kept clear." He was quick to add, "I know that's probably not the easiest thing for me to ask you to do, but it would make it safer for me."

The boys all readily agreed.

Emboldened by the reception his request had received, Harry went on to make one more. "Also, if you want to move your stuff around, that's fine, but if you could leave mine in one place, that would be great. Just so I can find it when I need to."

"Absolutely," Louis assured him, reaching over to place a hand on Harry's thigh.

"No problem," Niall said.

Zayn and Liam added their willingness to keep things in order--making Harry smile gratefully--before Liam asked, "So, anything else?"

"Smoking," Louis said.

"I guess that means me." Zayn raised his hand.

"And me," Niall added.

"Maybe that should stay outside?" Louis posited. "Since the smell can get all over everything and we're not the only ones in the house."

Zayn nodded. "Makes sense. Sure."

Niall nodded, too. "Sure."

"Anything else?" Liam checked.

Silence reigned, then, so Liam closed the group meeting. "I guess if anything else comes up, we can address it then."

"Sounds good," Louis said. "So, should we unpack?"

In answer, Zayn, Liam, and Niall pushed themselves up off the floor and began to head for their things. Niall claimed the bottom bunk to the left of the entry, and Zayn the bunk above that, and both boys started throwing their things on their mattresses without much care.

Louis touched Harry's forearm. "Let's do your things first, then I can do mine."

Louis could tell that Harry was about to try to claim that he could unpack his things himself. He had a look on his face that was a mixture of determination to prove he could be independent and guilt at the fact that he could probably use Louis' help. Louis didn't even give him time to fully form a protest. He just stood up and pulled Harry with him, grabbing his hand to lead him to his suitcase. "Come on."

It didn't take them long to hang some of Harry's clothes--leaving the remainder in suitcases shoved underneath his bed--and put his toiletries in a logical place in the washroom they were to share. Louis made a mental note to make sure their other housemates knew to leave Harry's stuff where it was. Finally, they put most of Harry's personal items--his iPod, his laptop, his inhaler (for asthma, Harry explained)--on the window sill located conveniently next to Harry's single bed.

Once Harry was settled, he sat on the edge of his bed to chat with Louis and the others as they sorted their own things out. In no time, they were done. And they were starving. Though they had all eaten something that morning, they realised that in all the excitement of arriving at the house and moving into their room, they had completely missed lunch time. They stampeded down the stairs to see what they could find to stave off their hunger.

The rest of the day was spent getting to know their housemates, who had all arrived by dinnertime. They spread out in groups around the house chatting, playing with the Wii, watching television. When it was dinnertime, a group gathered in the kitchen to prepare enough food for everyone. They made some spaghetti, having found plenty of pasta, sauce, and meat to feed whoever wanted to eat.

One Direction ended up eating side by side at the long kitchen table along with several of the other younger contestants: Cher and Matt, Aiden Grimshaw, Paije Richardson, Rebecca Ferguson, and all the members of Belle Amie, the other band put together by the _X-Factor_ judges. The girls had introduced themselves as Rebecca, Esther, Geneva, and Sophia.

When they first sat down with their plates of pasta, they shared some small talk. They were all so excited to be there and anxious to get their experience underway. They talked about what they thought it would be like to be on television with so many people watching. They also talked about how they were going to miss the people they'd left behind at home, but how they were also determined to make those people proud.

Eventually, the topic of conversation turned to Harry. It was Aiden who asked, "So, Harry, what is it like being the first blind person to make it onto _The X-Factor_?"

Harry seemed, at first, a little startled by Aiden's direct question. However, he had a small smile on his face when he went to answer, demonstrating to Louis that he wasn't offended. "I don't know," Harry told Aiden. "I'm glad they were willing to take a chance on me."

"Of course they were," Louis jumped in to say. "You were too good a singer for them to pass up on."

Harry blushed at the praise.

"Although that reminds me," Louis went on. "I don't remember who's sharing the washroom with us."

"Pretty sure I am," Matt said.

"Me, too," Aiden put in.

"I think I may be as well," Paije replied.

"That's a lot of people for one washroom," Niall commented.

"At least none of us are girls," Aiden point out with a grin.

"Hey!" one of the Belle Amie girls--Sophia?--objected. "Not all of us take a long time in the washroom. I have guy friends who take forever."

"Fair enough," Aiden conceded.

"Anyway," Louis went on. "I can show you guys later which stuff is Harry's. It needs to stay put, yeah?"

Paije looked confused for a split second, gazing in Harry's direction, then it appeared to click. "Right. Sure."

"Absolutely," Matt said at the same time as Aiden said, "Yeah. No problem."

Harry's blush was more from embarrassment this time, but he did whisper, "Thanks."

"Is there anything else we need to be aware of that would help you out, Harry?" Rebecca asked kindly. "Around the house, I mean?"

Louis opened his mouth to answer, but then thought better of it and closed it again. He needed to wait to see if Harry would speak up for himself.

He was pleased when Harry did just that. "Um, it would be helpful if nobody moved any furniture around," he began. "Louis walked me around earlier, so I've got it kind of mapped out in my head, but if something gets moved…."

"That makes sense," Rebecca commented.

"Also, doors need to either be all the way open or all the way closed," Harry explained. "Otherwise, that is an accident waiting to happen."

"Got it," Rebecca said.

"Anything else?" Aiden asked.

"It was great that everyone introduced themselves when we sat down at the table. There are enough new people here that until I connect all your names with your voices, it's helpful if I know who's in the room," Harry told him. Louis had never heard Harry say anything like that before, but it made a lot of sense. He silently vowed to try to remember to help Harry to learn who was who as much as he could.

"I think we can try to do that," Matt said.

"Is there more, Harry?" Louis gently asked, not wanting to push Harry, since he'd already offered so much information for everyone, and Louis knew how hard that was for Harry to do.

"Not that I can think of right now," Harry answered. "But if I think of anything later, I'll let you guys know."

"Please do," Rebecca implored.

The rest of the dinner conversation was light, mostly about what food they needed to get into the house for future meals. Then, when they had all finished eating, they cleaned the kitchen as a group, finishing the job in no time at all. Finally, they all retired to the front room to share stories and watch some television until, one by one, they drifted off to their bedrooms, tired after their long, exciting day.

Liam, Zayn, Niall, Louis, and Harry all decided to head upstairs at the same time. They took turns in the washroom to get ready for bed. Louis surreptitiously watched for Harry when he took his turn, just to make sure Harry found his way back to their room okay. It was their first night in the house, and Louis knew Harry was still learning his way around. Harry had, after all, asked Louis to continue to guide him around the house even after their tour. ("Just until I know the house a little better," Harry had explained.)

Once they were all clad in t-shirts and boxers, they shut off the lights and climbed into their respective beds. None of them, though, were really ready to sleep yet, all of them suffering from that combination of super tired and all keyed up that can follow a really exciting event.

"I can't believe we're here," Niall said into the darkness, his voice filled with unbridled glee. "The _X-Factor_ house."

"We are going to have to work really, really hard to stay," Liam pointed out seriously.

"Killjoy," Niall returned, though without much bite.

"Who's everyone's favourite superhero?" Zayn asked, apropos of nothing.

"Wow, random," Louis said with a laugh.

"Mine's Green Lantern," Zayn ploughed on.

"I am, like, obsessed with Batman," Liam shared. "He's super cool."

"Hm…." Niall pondered. "I think I pick Iron Man."

"That's a hard question. There are so many to choose from!" Louis said. "I'll say…. Spiderman."

"Harry?" Zayn prodded. "You have one?"

Harry paused before softly answering, "Daredevil. He saves people even though he's blind."

"Cool choice," Zayn approved.

They were quiet for a few moments, then Niall posed his own question. "When we go on our world tour, where are you most excited about going?"

"A world tour?" Louis repeated. "You're thinking big."

"Why not?" Niall countered.

"No, no, I like the way you think!" Louis assured him. "And I'm going to say Japan, since it's so different from here."

"I think I'd be most excited to go to America," Zayn answered.

"Have you been before?" Niall wanted to know.

"No," Zayn said. "It would be so cool to go all over."

"I think America, too," Liam responded. "I've been before, but I certainly haven't seen everything."

"I'm going to say Mexico," Harry told them. "Since Mexican is my favourite kind of food. It would be fun to have some that's authentic."

"What about you, Niall?" Louis asked.

"Ireland," he answered quickly. "Because it would be awesome to play a concert at home."

"Yeah, that will be sweet," Liam agreed. "Playing at home."

Silence filled the room at this point, as each of the boys fell into contemplation. Louis was busy imagining playing the Dome, back at home in Doncaster. It was a wonderful fantasy.

"I've got one!" Liam said, breaking the silence after a few minutes. "Best TV show ever."

" _One Tree Hill_ ," Louis replied.

"Seriously?" Liam questioned him.

"Hey, no judging!" Louis protested.

"I never said there would be no judging," Liam informed him. "But I'm mostly just surprised."

"What can I say? I'm quirky," Louis said by way of explanation.

"I like _Two and a Half Men_ ," Niall gave his answer. "It's hilarious."

"I've seen that," Louis said. "It is kind of funny."

"What about you, Zayn?" Liam asked.

His question was met with silence.

"Zayn?" Niall called in a stage whisper. He also received no response. "He must be out."

"What about you, Harry?" Liam moved on.

Nothing but soft snores emanated from the area of Harry's bed. Louis smiled. "Business as usual. Zayn and Harry passing out on us in the middle of a getting-to-know-you session."

Niall let out a yawn that Louis heard. "Sorry," Niall apologised.

"No," Liam said. "I think Zayn and Harry have the right idea. We should get some sleep. We've got some busy days ahead if we want to smash it at the first live show."

"Right," Louis said. "All right, then. Night, lads."

"Night," Liam returned, also letting out an audible yawn.

"Night," Niall echoed sleepily.

Louis instantly started to worry that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. He still felt so wired. But it wasn't long after he closed his eyes that found himself dreaming of singing on a stage in Japan, the four boys sharing his room also sharing that stage. It was an amazing dream that maybe, just maybe, had a shot at becoming a reality.

* * *

The following morning dawned bright and sunny. Louis blinked against the light streaming in through the windows as his brain processed his new surroundings. It took him a moment, but he eventually remembered that he was now living in the _X-Factor_ house. He smiled.

He sat up in his bed and surveyed his roommates. Niall was awake, too, stretching in his bunk. Liam was also awake. He was sitting up and checking his mobile with his legs hanging off the edge of the bed. Louis didn't have to see Zayn to know the boy in the bunk above him was still asleep, given his habit pattern back at the bungalow. Harry, too, was still out, buried almost completely under his duvet.

They were due this morning at the _X-Factor_ studio to meet all the people they would be working with there, go over their schedule, and start the process of picking a first song for the first live show. It was going to be a busy, exciting day.

"Morning, fellas," Louis greeted Liam and Niall in a soft voice.

"Morning," they returned at virtually the same time, using the exact same tone.

Liam jumped off the bed, landing right in front of Harry's. He grinned at Louis. "I'll get this one if you get that one." He pointed above Louis' head.

Louis remembered the conversation he and Liam had had about Harry Duty and figured today was as good a day as any to start trying to share Harry, even if it still pained him to do so. "Deal," he told Liam, though he stayed right where he was long enough to check his phone before trying to wake Zayn.

He watched out of the corner of his eye and listened as Liam approached Harry.

"Harry," Liam whispered softly. Louis snickered under his breath. He knew from experience that wasn't going to work. Harry slept pretty soundly. Liam whispered again, "Harry."

"You're going to need to be a little louder than that," Louis indicated kindly. "He sleeps like a rock."

Liam nodded and tried again with more volume. "Harry. Time to wake up."

There was no movement from the lump under the duvet, but Liam persisted in his efforts. This time, he placed his hand on what he thought was Harry's shoulder and squeezed gently as he added even more volume to his voice. "Harry. Hazza. Haz. It's time to get up, sleeping beauty. The day awaits."

Finally, a moan wended its way out from under the covers, and the lump moved, hands poking out to pull the duvet down to reveal Harry's sleepy face and rumpled curls. "Did you just call me Hazza?" Harry rasped.

Liam grinned as he straightened up again. "It seemed to suit."

Harry took a moment to think on it, then his face split in a wide grin. "I like it."

"Good." Liam seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Who else is awake?" Harry asked.

"Everyone but Zayn," Louis informed him. "Good morning, sunshine."

"Good morning, Louis." Harry sat up and threw back the duvet. "Is there anyone already in the washroom? If there isn't, does anyone mind if I go next?"

"Nope," Liam, Louis, and Niall answered, as if sharing a hive mind.

"Thanks," Harry said, immediately getting out of bed to grab his toilet kit, a pair of khaki shorts, a light blue t-shirt, and some fresh underwear. With all of that bundled under one arm, Harry carefully made his way out of the room. When he didn't return to ask for help, Louis assumed he'd found the washroom with no problem and that the washroom was vacant.

Liam went to pull out his own outfit for the day while Niall hauled out his suitcase from beneath his bed to rummage through it for something. Louis decided to quickly finish composing an e-mail to his mum before waking Zayn. It wasn't as if the washroom was free anyhow.

It was about ten minutes later when Harry reappeared in the doorway. "Washroom's free," he announced before beginning the journey back across the room.

Louis looked up at that moment, done with his e-mail. He supposed it was time to go ahead and wake Zayn. He sighed and threw back his covers.

The events of the next ten seconds seemed to happen as if in slow motion, at least as far as Louis was concerned.

Harry was carefully making his way across the room, both hands out low in front of himself to guard against running into something. What they couldn't guard against was something Louis didn't notice until it was already too late.

Niall had been tossing things out of his suitcase to find something--Louis might have heard him muttering something about a "damn blue shirt"--and one of the things he'd thrown onto the floor was a high top trainer. Which Harry's hands couldn't see. A warning was on Louis' lips at the same moment that Harry tripped right over the shoe, losing his balance and falling hard, head coming right down on the edge of the footboard of his bed. The sound echoed sickeningly through the room.

Harry crumpled onto the carpet in a heap, a hand reaching up to grab his forehead, a pained yelp escaping his mouth.

Louis was on the floor in what could only have been a nanosecond, screaming Harry's name. Niall scuttled from where he'd been kneeling on the floor to take a position on Harry's other side, while Liam bent down right next to Niall.

Louis put a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry," he said helplessly, not sure what he needed to do.

Harry seemed too stunned to say anything. His hand was still pressed to his head, blood seeping through his fingertips at an alarming rate. When Louis pulled on Harry's shoulder enough to get a closer look at his face, he found Harry's eyes squeezed shut and tears streaming down his cheeks, mixing with the blood from his wound. It was hard for Louis to tell just how badly Harry had cut himself because Harry's whole hand covered the injured area.

"Harry?" Louis tried again to get the younger boy to acknowledge him. Harry just shook his head.

A rage unlike any he'd felt in a long time washed over Louis, and he turned every bit of it on Niall. Looking directly at him and pitching his voice low, he seethed, "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I--"

Louis cut Niall off with a death glare. "We had this conversation yesterday. Just yesterday. The floor needs to be kept clean. He's blind, you idiot."

"I know," Niall said softly, eyes wild with regret. "I was going to put everything back."

"That doesn't mean shit!" Louis yelled. "Look at him. Look what you did!"

Tears fell from Niall's eyes as he apologised. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Softly, Liam urged, "Louis, come on. Niall didn't mean for Harry to get hurt."

Louis hauled in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. He needed to do that twice more before he could nod and admit, "I know."

From out of nowhere, a green towel appeared in Louis' face. Louis looked up to find it was Zayn making the offering. All the commotion must have woken him up. As Louis took the towel, Zayn dropped to his knees next to Louis. "See if you can replace his hand with that."

Louis nodded and, Niall forgotten, turned all of his attention back to Harry. He rubbed his free hand up and down Harry's bicep in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "Harry? Baby? I have a towel here. Can you let me put it on your forehead?"

For the first time since he'd fallen, Harry truly acknowledged Louis' presence, nodding gingerly. Harry winced at the movement, but nonetheless lifted his bloodied hand. Louis wasted zero time in placing the towel where Harry's hand had been. Harry automatically reached up to press the towel down.

"Do you think you can sit up?" Louis asked.

"Maybe," Harry responded weakly.

Louis locked gazes with Liam, and Liam nodded, getting Louis' meaning straight away. He put his hands under Harry on his side, while Louis did the same on his own. Together, they lifted Harry until he was sitting upright, knees bent up. Harry rested his elbow on his knee to allow even more pressure on the towel on his forehead.

"I'm going to call Scott," Liam said, heading for his bed and his mobile. Scott Chase was their _X-Factor_ liaison, the person they'd been directed to call in the case of any kind of emergency. This certainly qualified. As soon as he reached his phone, he dialed.

"You don't need to call anyone. I'm okay. I just need a minute or two." Harry tried to assure them. The weak tone he used completely belied his words.

"Harry, I'm so, so, so sorry," Niall jumped into the conversation.

"I tripped over something of yours," Harry wryly concluded.

"My trainer," Niall confessed.

"It's okay, Niall," Harry told him, his tone wholly sincere. "Not the first time I've tripped over something and fallen. Probably won't be the last."

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Louis questioned him.

Harry took a moment, clearly assessing. "No, I don't think so. Head hurts a lot, Louis."

"I know," Louis said sympathetically. "Keep that towel pressed down hard. You were bleeding a lot."

Harry nodded and resituated himself so he could add even more pressure to his injury. Louis kept a comforting hand on Harry's thigh.

Liam walked back over, mobile phone at his side. "Scott's on his way over to take Harry to A&E."

Louis sensed Harry's entire body tensing at Liam's proclamation. "I don't need to go to hospital," Harry protested.

"Yes, you do," Louis countered. "Head injuries are nothing to mess with."

It was, Louis suspected, a testament to just how lousy Harry felt that he did not argue the point further. Louis knew Harry didn't like to cause problems, but Harry simply acquiesced at this juncture. "Okay. Will you go with me, Louis?"

"Of course," Louis promised. "I just need to get some clothes on. Give me a second."

Liam took over the job of keeping a hand on Harry to offer comfort while Louis threw on the first clothes he could find, his jeans from the day before and a band t-shirt he took from a pile he'd set by his bed. He shoved his mobile into his front pocket, then returned to Harry's side.

"Okay, Harry, think you can stand up this time?" Louis inquired.

"I can try."

Niall and Zayn stepped back to allow Liam and Louis room to help Harry to his feet. He wasn't completely steady, but with the support from his bandmates, he was able to stay upright.

"Is there anything you need, Harry?" Zayn wondered aloud.

"Just my cane," Harry told him. "I brought it up last night and set it on the window sill."

Zayn retrieved it from where Harry had directed him, and handed it to Louis, who shoved it in his back pocket as he'd seen Harry do countless times. "Louis has it."

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Okay, let's get you downstairs," Liam suggested. "Scott said he was coming right away."

Harry gave over a lot of his weight to Liam and Louis, but together, they managed to get out the bedroom door and down the narrow staircase, Liam awkwardly helping hold the towel in place over Harry's wound. A few of their housemates were wandering around the house by this time, and when they saw Harry was hurt, offered their services. Louis told them he thought they were all right.

They maneuvered Harry onto the sofa nearest the door, and Harry sat gratefully, still dutifully pressing the towel to his forehead. Louis sat next to him on one side, Liam on the other. Zayn and Niall hovered behind the sofa, just in case they could be useful.

"Can I check to see if it's stopped bleeding?" Louis wanted to know.

"Sure," Harry agreed.

When he felt Louis' hand next to his on the towel, Harry pulled his hand away. Louis shuddered at how caked with dried blood poor Harry's hand was, but he was pretty sure they'd help him with that at hospital. Louis gently eased the towel back to examine Harry's wound.

He'd cut himself pretty badly, the gouge a good half-inch, maybe more, wide. It was still bleeding a little bit, but not nearly as profusely as it had been right after he'd fallen. The cut was right near Harry's hairline, so any scar he had wouldn't be too noticeable. Might even make him a little rakish.

"So, Dr. Tomlinson," Harry joked, "how does it look?"

"Not too bad. It's almost stopped bleeding, but I think you should keep putting pressure on it until we get to A&E." Louis pressed the towel back into place and Harry lifted his hand to take charge of it again.

Scott arrived just then. They had none of them met him in person before, though they had all spoken to him on the phone. The plan had been to meet him in person that day, although definitely not under these circumstances. He was an older man, probably in his thirties, and he greeted them with a soft smile. "Hi, boys."

"Hi," they chorused back.

Scott went to bend down right in front of Harry, putting a hand on his knee, causing Harry to jump a little. "Sorry," he apologised. "So, I understand you took a little tumble?"

Harry nodded ruefully.

"Well, let's get you to hospital, then, so they can check you out," Scott said, his tone bright, relaxing all of them, including, quite visibly, Harry. It was nice to have an adult taking charge.

"Okay," Harry said.

"I'm coming, too," Louis added, leaving no room for argument.

Scott straightened up and nodded. "Okay. Car's right out front. Need any help?"

Liam and Louis both shook their heads. "No. We've got him."

Scott headed back out of the house as Louis and Liam helped Harry to his feet once again, leading him out to the car, Louis making sure to warn Harry ahead of time about steps and turns.

Finally, they made it to Scott's beige Honda. Louis bundled Harry into the back seat, crawling in right after him, apologising to Scott for making him play chauffeur.

Liam wished them well and told them he'd see them soon, then shut the door so they could leave.

Scott drove them as quickly as he could to Barnet Hospital, dropping the boys off at the A&E entrance, telling them he would park, then meet them inside.

Harry kept his left hand where it had been on the towel, and slung his right arm over Louis' shoulder, allowing Louis to lead him through the automatic doors.

Louis walked them right to the nurses' station and asked for assistance. He explained what had happened to Harry, and they took Harry's name and handed Louis a clipboard and a pen, telling him to take Harry to the waiting room. Since his was a head injury, a nurse would be out to get him as quickly as they could.

Louis thanked them, then guided Harry into the waiting room and onto the closest chair that was free. Harry bent over a little, resting his forearms on his thighs while still pressing the towel to his head. Louis began to look over the paperwork he'd been handed, filling in the information he knew and asking Harry for the information he didn't.

Scott eventually appeared and took a seat on Louis' other side. It wasn't long after that when a young, blonde nurse appeared, calling Harry's name.

"Right here," Louis responded.

"You can come on back," she said pleasantly. "The doctor will see you now."

As Harry moved to stand, Louis requested, "Can I come with him? He's blind."

She nodded, and Louis handed her the paperwork he'd completed before helping Harry up so they could follow the nurse, who introduced herself as Ashley, into a small room off the back of the A&E area. She urged Louis to help Harry onto the padded table, then told Louis he could wait with Harry until the doctor arrived. She closed the door behind herself, leaving the boys alone for the first time since before Harry had taken his fall.

Louis withdrew the cane from his back pocket and set it out of the way on the table behind Harry before taking Harry's free hand in his own. "How're you holding up there, sweetheart?"

"I feel ridiculous, putting everyone through all of this," Harry told him sadly.

Louis squeezed Harry's hand tightly. "This is not your fault. It was an accident. Accidents happen."

Harry shrugged, clearly not quite convinced.

"Everyone just wants you to be okay. You're not causing any trouble," Louis tried again to assure him.

"You're not going to stay mad at Niall, are you?" Harry changed the subject. Sort of. "He didn't mean for me to get hurt. I trip and fall all the time. Kind of comes with the territory. Please don't stay mad at him."

Louis couldn't keep himself from leaning over to place a gentle kiss on Harry's cheek. "I won't. I promise."

Harry offered him a small smile. "Thanks."

"How's your head feeling? Any better?" Louis wanted to know.

Harry shrugged. "Hurts. Big headache."

"Well, hopefully the doctor will be here soon to check you out, and we can get you home to rest."

As if Louis' words had summoned her, there was a knock on the door before a doctor entered the room carrying a clipboard. "Hi, there. I'm Dr. Miranda Westphall. I understand, Mr. Styles, that you took a little spill?"

Harry blushed as he nodded, correcting her, "Harry, please."

Dr. Westphall turned to Louis, "And you are?"

Louis stood to shake her hand without letting go of Harry's. "I'm Louis Tomlinson, Harry's boyfriend."

Harry gasped at Louis' wording. "My what?" he whispered, as if the doctor wasn't there.

"Boyfriend," Louis whispered back. "Is that okay?"

"That's…yeah. Okay," Harry concluded softly.

Dr. Westphall was smiling when she said, "Now that's settled, why don't you let me take a look at your head?"

Harry nodded and handed the towel to Louis. Louis set it next to Harry's cane to deal with later. He watched as the doctor set down her clipboard on a nearby counter, pulled on gloves, and, finally, approached Harry.

She had clearly been informed that Harry couldn't see since before she touched him, she warned him of her intentions. "I'm just going to check out that cut, all right?"

Harry nodded. He flinched when she touched him, squeezing Louis' hand in reflex. She asked some questions while she pushed Harry's copious curls away to prod at his injury. "So, what exactly happened here?"

"I tripped and fell and hit my head on something," Harry explained.

"It was the footboard of his bed," Louis supplied.

"Okay." She went on. "Did you lose consciousness at all?"

"I don't think so," Harry told her.

"Do you have a headache?"

"Oh, yes."

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?"

Harry pondered her query for a moment before guessing, "Six? Seven?"

"And your vision loss…. It has nothing to do with your accident?" the doctor asked.

"No. That was congenital," Harry confirmed.

"Louis, did Harry seem at all confused after he fell, like he didn't know where he was?"

Louis shook his head. "He was in a lot of pain, but he didn't seem confused."

"Okay, this is going to need a couple stitches, but it doesn't look like it's going to cause you any lasting damage. It may leave a scar, but it's close to the hairline. Shouldn't be too noticeable," she posited (unwittingly echoing Louis' earlier presumption) before continuing, "Now I need to check to see if you've got a concussion."

"Okay," Harry said agreeably, though Louis could tell his energy was fading.

"First, I'm going to check your eyes, then I'm going to ask you a few questions," she explained the procedure. "Do you have any light perception?"

Harry nodded. "A little."

"Then this may be a little bright," she warned him as she withdrew a pen light from her lab coat pocket. "I'm going to touch your face just a little bit, all right?"

Harry nodded again, already squeezing Louis' hand in preparation for her examination.

Louis was curious, though. "You're checking for pupil dilation, right?"

"That's right," she said, pausing in her movements to regard Louis.

"If he can't see, will that work?"

Dr. Westphall nodded. "It's a reflex and has nothing to do with vision. Assuming he doesn't have a concussion, his pupils should contract and dilate the same way yours do."

"Cool," Louis commented.

The doctor proceeded to gently hold open Harry's eyes one at a time to shine the light in and out of each. Harry flinched a bit during the exam, and Louis wondered just how much of the light he could actually see and if it was that or the doctor touching him that was making him twitchy.

When she was done, the doctor pronounced, "That looks good. Now, for those questions. And no help from you, Louis."

Louis mimed zipping his lips.

"Okay. What's your full name?" she questioned Harry.

"Harry Edward Styles."

"When's your birthday?"

"1st February, 1994."

"What month and year is it now?"

"September 2010."

"What city are we in?"

"London."

"Who's the Prime Minister?"

"David Cameron."

She patted his knee. "I think you're fine. I see no signs of a concussion."

Louis breathed a sigh of relief in tandem with Harry. "Thanks," Harry told her.

"I'm going to send a nurse in to take care of those stitches, then you should be good to go," she said. "If you start feeling light-headed or nauseated, have someone bring you back."

"Thanks," Harry repeated.

"What about his headache?" Louis inquired. "Can he take something for that?"

"Paracetemol is fine. If the normal dosage doesn't help, you can take one extra, but no more. Okay, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Got it."

"It was nice to meet you both," she said sincerely. "I hope you can enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thanks," Louis said on behalf of the both of them.

On that note, she left the room, which meant they were alone again.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Harry smiled shyly. "So, boyfriend?"

"Absolutely," Louis stated firmly.

"I like it," Harry concluded.

"I'm glad you're okay." Louis leaned over and pressed another kiss to Harry's cheek. "Hopefully they'll come to do the stitches quickly so we can get out of here."

"That would be nice. The smell of bleach here is really strong. Not helping my headache," he complained.

"Poor baby."

"Thanks for staying with me," Harry went on.

"That was never going down any other way," Louis assured him.

At that moment the nurse from earlier, Ashley, came back into the room carrying a tray with some equipment on it. "So, I understand you need a couple stitches, Mr. Styles."

"So I hear," Harry lamented.

"This won't take too long." She grabbed a rolling table from the corner and set her tray on top of it. Just like Dr. Westphall had been, Ashley was very solicitous of Harry, obviously remembering that he was blind. "First I have to clean the cut. It may sting a little, but I'll try to be quick."

Harry nodded bravely.

Ashley was as good as her word, and she made it quick. Harry hissed when she first administered the antiseptic, but it didn't take her long to clean the wound enough that she could put in the stitches. She warned for those, too, although he did cry out a little each of the three times she threaded the needle through his cut. Louis held his hand for the entire procedure, although by the end, he was concerned he had no more circulation in his hand, Harry had squeezed it so tightly.

Once Ashley had placed a bandage on top of Harry's new stitches and advised him to keep the wound clean, she told them they were free to go.

Louis helped Harry jump off the table, flexing the hand Harry had been gripping. He shoved Harry's cane back into his back pocket and grabbed the bloody towel behind where Harry had been sitting. As Harry took his elbow and they made for the door, he dropped the towel in the rubbish bin they passed. He was pretty sure the _X-Factor_ folks would be cool with replacing it.

"Can we stop in a washroom?" Harry requested. "I feel like I am covered in blood."

"Sure," Louis agreed. There turned out to be one just before the turn back to the waiting room.

It wasn't too bad, actually. The left side of Harry's face was streaky with pale pink, and his left hand was coated with dried blood. His shirt was probably not good for much more than the rubbish bin given how much blood had landed on it, but his shorts were fine.

Louis procured some paper towels, and after Harry had thoroughly washed his hands, Louis cleaned his face for him, careful to stay away from his fresh bandage, stark white over Harry's pale skin.

"Am I presentable now?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Yep. Let's go find Scott and get you back to the house."

Scott was on his mobile when Louis walked Harry into the waiting room, but he got off his call as soon as he spotted the boys. "All set?"

Louis nodded. "Three stitches, no concussion."

"Excellent!" Scott stood up. "I'll just go check that all the paperwork is in order, then we'll head back to the house."

Louis guided Harry to a seat as Scott walked away. Harry put his head in his hands, demonstrating to Louis that he was nearing entirely worn out. Louis put his hand gently on Harry's back. "Just a little while longer, baby, then you can get some paracetemol and some rest."

Harry nodded minutely.

They waited the rest of the time in silence, but they didn't have to wait for too long because Scott reappeared just five minutes later and told them they were good to go. He said he would go get the car and meet Louis and Harry at the door.

As Scott sped ahead to go fetch his car, Louis more sedately led Harry out of the A&E.

Once they were safely in the back seat yet again, Harry asked, "Can I borrow your mobile, Louis? I left mine back at the house, and I should probably call my mum before someone from the show does."

"Sure." Louis fished his mobile from his pocket, pulled up Anne's number, and hit the call button before handing the phone over. "It's ringing."

"Thanks." Harry took the phone and held it to his ear.

Louis had no choice but to listen to the one-sided conversation.

"It's not Louis, it's me, Mum." Pause. "I'm okay, but I fell this morning, and I, um, had to go to hospital." Pause. "I cut my head, and they had to put in three stitches." Pause. "No, I don't have a concussion. The doctor checked." Pause. "I'm going back to the house now to rest." Pause. "No, you don't have to come down. I'm fine." Pause. "Okay." He pulled the phone away from his ear to say, "Louis, she wants to talk to you."

Louis took the phone. "Hi, Anne."

Anne offered no preamble. "Is he really okay, Louis?"

"He's fine," Louis assured her. "The doctor checked him out really thoroughly, and she said he was fine."

"What happened?" Harry's mum wanted to know.

Louis cleared his throat and meekly explained, "Someone accidentally left a shoe out, and he tripped over it and hit his head on the footboard of the bed." He felt truly guilty about having to give this account. Harry was his responsibility, and he'd gotten hurt on Louis' watch.

Louis heard Anne's sigh clear over the phone line. "You boys do know you have to keep the floor clear for him, right?"

"We do. This was just an accident. I will do my level best to make sure it doesn't happen again," he swore to her.

"I know you will, sweetie." Anne sounded a bit calmer now. "You don’t think he needs me there, do you?"

"I think he'll be okay," Louis told her. "We just pulled up to the house, and I'm going to put him to bed with some paracetemol."

"Okay. Thanks, Louis. Can I speak to Harry again?"

"Absolutely. Harry? Your mum wants you again." He handed over the phone once more.

"Hi, Mum." Pause. "I promise." Pause. "I'll call later." Pause. "I love you, too." Pause. "Bye." He handed the phone back to Louis. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Louis pocketed the phone. "Ready to get out?" At Harry's affirmative nod, he climbed out of the car and helped Harry out behind him. Harry was very definitely exhausted, so Louis kept the pace slow.

Scott led the way inside, where they were met by a woman called Liesel, who had been drafted to stay with Harry while Louis went to the meeting over at the _X-Factor_ studio. Scott had apparently been busy making phone calls and plans while Harry was getting seen to by the doctor.

Louis protested instantly. "I want to stay here with Harry," he told Scott and Liesel.

Before either of the adults even got a chance to speak, Harry piped up to say, "I'm just going to pass out, Louis. You need to go and get all the information we need."

"Niall, Liam, and Zayn can do that," Louis tried to insist.

"They're probably worried," Harry countered. "I'll be okay. Really. I'm just going to sleep."

Louis sighed heavily, but the determined look on Harry's face told Louis he was fighting a losing battle. "Okay, I'll go, but I'll see you to bed first."

"All right," Harry acquiesced.

Leaving Scott and Liesel chatting in the front room, Louis led Harry up the stairs and to the door of their room. When they arrived, Louis smiled. "The floor is shoeless and spotless. And that includes the blood that I am pretty sure was in the carpet. The boys did good. Also, every pillow in the room is on your bed. I guess they wanted a really soft place for your poor head."

Harry's smile matched Louis'. "Sweet."

Louis led Harry over to the bed and deposited him at the end of it. "So, what would you like to sleep in?"

"Sweats and a t-shirt?"

"Sounds good to me." Louis went to Harry's pile of clothes, neatly stacked on the wall by the foot of the bed, and pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. As soon as he handed them to Harry, Harry pulled off his shorts and t-shirt and passed them to Louis.

Louis took the shorts and added them to the laundry bag they'd hung from the top of one of the closet racks. "How do you feel about this shirt? Is it one of your favourites?"

"A little bloody?" Harry scrunched up his nose in distaste as he slipped on first his sweatpants, then the fresh t-shirt.

"It might come out," Louis said dubiously.

Harry shook his head. "It's okay. Trash it."

Louis tossed it toward the door with a mind to throw it out downstairs so none of them would have to look at it. "Ready to lie down?"

"Long past." Harry moved to crawl under his duvet, gingerly placing his head in the center of the pile of pillows his bandmates had graciously lent to him. He closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I'm going to go get some paracetemol. Don't go to sleep just yet, okay?"

Harry nodded. "Okay."

Louis went into the bathroom and checked the medicine cabinet, hoping against hope that the _X-Factor_ folks had thought to stock pain relievers. He was joyous when he discovered they had, tipping three pills into his hand and pouring a glass of water before returning to their bedroom.

"I have the paracetemol, Harry. Sit up to take it?"

Harry obliged and sat up, reaching for both the pills and the water.

"I'm going to give you two pills," Louis told him, passing them to Harry, along with the water. "I have a third here you can put on the window sill in case you need it."

After Harry downed the pills, he put the remainder of the glass of water and the third pill on the window sill where he could easily access them, then he laid back down, clearly completely wiped out.

"Oh! Your cane," Louis remembered. "Where do you want it?"

"On the sill, please."

Louis pulled the cane from his pocket and reached over Harry's bed to place it on the sill. "It's there if you need it. Anything else?"

"I don't think so," Harry replied. "Thank you, Lou."

Louis leaned down to kiss the uninjured part of Harry's forehead. "Get some rest. I'll be back as quick as I can."

Louis was in the process of turning around to leave Harry to sleep when Harry uttered Louis' name, causing Louis to turn right back to Harry.

"What? Did you think of something else you need?"

Harry opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. "No. I wanted to thank you."

Louis smiled. "You did."

Harry shook his head. "No, not for that. For not throwing Niall under the bus with my mum. You will say sorry for yelling at him, won't you? He didn't mean for me to be hurt."

Louis' heart swelled with love for the boy on the bed. He had spent his entire morning having his poor, wounded head poked, prodded, and stitched, and here he was concerned for both Niall's feelings and the harmony between Niall and Louis. "I promise to apologise to Niall."

"And you'll mean it?" Harry confirmed.

"I'll mean it," Louis assured him.

Harry relaxed back into the pillows, closing his eyes again. "Good."

Louis kissed Harry's temple one more time. "Rest well."

"See you soon," Harry murmured.

Louis moved away, but waited long enough to hear Harry's breathing evening out in sleep. It did not take long. He quickly changed into slightly nicer clothes--a clean pair of jeans and a black and white striped t-shirt--before grabbing Harry's ruined t-shirt from the floor and heading downstairs to enlist his own promise. From Liesel. That she would take the very best care of his favourite person in the world. Or else.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The X-Factor:_ The Live Shows: Weeks 1-3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for the hits, kudos, and comments, and, additionally, the support for posting more than once a week.
> 
> This is the only chapter in the entire story containing some sexytiems. Therefore, I have adjusted the rating accordingly. If sexytiems are not your thing, feel free to skip it (it's right at the end of the chapter)--you will not lose much meaning in the story. If they are your thing, I apologise for there not being more!! (If it's any consolation to those people, there are way more sexytiems in my next story....)
> 
> On with the show....

When Louis arrived at the studio where _The X-Factor_ was recorded, all of the contestants were convened in the seats just off the stage. The producers and staff standing on the stage were going over group performance expectations. Zayn had saved two seats at the end of a row. Louis sat down quietly, trying to draw as little attention as he could.

Zayn, however, started whispering to him the minute he arrived. "Hey, Louis, is Harry okay?"

Louis nodded, whispering back, "He's back at the house resting."

"Does he have a concussion?" Liam leaned across Louis to ask.

Louis shook his head. "No, he's fine."

"Are you okay?" Zayn asked next.

Louis nodded this time, then noticed it was suddenly silent in the room. The people on the stage who had been talking were no longer talking, and everyone seated in front of One Direction were turning in their seats to look at them.

Louis waved and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Simon Cowell himself spoke up from the stage. "How is young Master Styles?"

Louis supposed he should not have been surprised that Simon knew what had happened. "He's fine. Resting now, but should be ready to go tomorrow."

Simon smiled back at Louis. "Excellent. I know your bandmates will fill you in on all the particulars you've missed."

"Thanks," Louis told him.

Simon addressed the whole group once again, telling them about how there would be a daily schedule and that everyone would have interviews and photo shoots before the live shows began. Finally he said, "Now we are just about ready to pass out the list of songs available to you for your first performance. We'll start practise on the group number tomorrow. That will be 'Rhythm of the Night' by Corona."

Louis was unfamiliar with that song, but was very glad they were holding off on starting that practise. Harry definitely needed to be there for that.

Simon offered final good luck wishes, then left the contestants to collect their list. Liam got one for One Direction, then the boys retreated to a practise room. It was truly odd for Louis not to have Harry there on his arm. He was glad this was only a temporary absence.

They took four folding chairs and made a circle in the middle of the room. It felt wrong to not have a fifth chair, but Harry was not far from anyone's mind.

"So, he's really okay?" Liam asked Louis as soon as they were all seated.

Louis nodded firmly. "He had to get three stitches, but he doesn't have a concussion."

The other three boys sighed with relief.

"He was pretty exhausted and headachy, and he fell asleep pretty soon after we got back to the house, but I suspect he'll be back on form tomorrow," Louis added to his report.

"Great," Zayn commented. "I'm really glad he's okay. I was a little freaked out when I woke up and he was kind of covered in blood."

Louis shuddered just thinking back on it.

Niall had not said a word yet, though he was clearly hanging on each of Louis' words. Louis knew it was time to come through on his promise to Harry. He reached out to touch Niall's knee. "Niall?"

Niall looked straight into Louis' eyes. "Mate, I really am sorry. I'm so glad he's okay."

Louis shook his head. "No. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was just scared for Harry. I know you'd never, ever intentionally hurt him."

"I wouldn't," Niall said earnestly.

Louis held out his hand to Niall. "Forgive me?"

Niall used Louis' hand to pull him into a fierce hug. "Of course!"

When they separated, Liam cleared his throat. "Maybe we should look at this list of songs."

The others agreed, and they began to look through the list, which was very similar to the list they'd gotten at Judges' Houses, although there were some additions and omissions.

The boys started throwing in opinions of songs, but it wasn't long before Niall confessed, "This feels wrong."

Zayn commented, "We shouldn't be making any decision like this without Harry."

Louis smiled softly. He was glad they all felt, like he did, that Harry was an integral part of their group. He would have to make sure that Harry knew.

At this point, Scott came in to see how they were faring. They explained to him that they couldn't make any decisions about what song to do without their missing member. Then they asked Scott what else they were still responsible for doing there at the studio that day.

"Well, you have a day or two to pick out your song, then you'll be assigned a vocal coach to help you prepare it. Some of the contestants may be ready for that part today," Scott told them, "but I think everyone will understand if you boys want to wait."

"Anything else?" Liam inquired.

"Let me go check," Scott said.

"We're not doing any photo shoots or interviews without Harry," Louis informed him before he could leave the room. "Right, lads?"

Niall, Zayn, and Liam nodded vigorously.

"Fair enough," Scott conceded. "I'll just go make sure they don't need you for anything else. If they don't, I'll drive you back to the house."

"Thanks," Zayn said on behalf of all of them.

While they waited for Scott to return, they went ahead and crossed some songs off the list because they were ones they'd rejected in Spain and all the same reasons still applied--too cliché, too cheesy, too overused. But they didn't try to figure out what they might choose. Maybe later in the day, back at the house, once Harry was feeling better, they could start to narrow it down.

Scott reappeared as Liam was folding the list to put in his back pocket. "You have the all clear to leave, boys."

They gave a group cheer and wasted no time following Scott out to his car.

On the way out to the vehicle, Louis asked Scott if he'd heard from Liesel. Scott told him that he had called her just a short time ago to check in, and she had reported that Harry was still out cold, but seemed just fine.

The drive back to the house seemed interminable. Louis, in particular, was anxious to get back to check on Harry himself. When they finally pulled up in front of the house, Louis practically ran up to the door to race inside, the other boys trailing almost as quickly behind him.

Liesel was sitting on one of the sofas in the front room when they burst in, reading something on her iPad. She smiled when she saw them. "I thought I wouldn't have to be here very long," she said. "I just checked on him, and he's still asleep. He seems comfortable. I'd let him sleep as long as he can. It'll help him recover faster."

The boys all nodded, Liam adding, "Thank you for watching him."

She shook her head. "It was no problem." Looking at Scott, she asked, "Should we head back over to the studio?"

Scott nodded. "Unless you boys need us for anything?"

They shook their heads. "I think we'll be okay."

"Call if you need anything," Scott ordered them.

They all nodded this time, then took to the stairs. When they reached the top, they worked hard not to make too much noise as they entered their bedroom.

Harry was, indeed, still out like a light. He lay on his right side, the bandaged side of his forehead on prominent display. His face was a little pinched, as if he were in some pain, but his breathing was deep and even, and he didn't seem uncomfortable, just like Liesel had told them.

The boys got out a deck of cards and quietly sat in a circle on the floor to play until Harry woke up.

They had played several rounds of poker, and Harry wasn't awake yet when Niall loudly whispered that he was starving. The four card players tiptoed out of the room and went down to the kitchen where they fixed sandwiches. They carried them--along with some sodas and crisps--back up to their room and resumed their game, which Zayn was winning pretty handily.

The sandwiches and crisps were gone, they had a small pyramid of empty soda cans, and Niall was on his phone because he was out of poker chips when a small moan echoed through the room.

Louis immediately dropped his cards and headed to Harry's bedside. He sat in the indentation created above the curl of Harry's legs. "Harry?" he said softly.

Harry's eyes blinked open and in a voice rough with sleep, he returned, "Louis?"

"How do you feel, sweetheart?" He gently ghosted a fingertip over the bandage adorning Harry's forehead.

Harry grimaced. "Head still hurts, but I feel a little better than when I went to sleep." He paused for a second, turning his head as if he were carefully listening to something. He whispered, "We're not alone, are we?"

Louis chuckled. "No. Niall, Zayn, and Liam are here, too. We were just waiting for you to wake up."

"Hi, guys," Harry greeted them. "I thought I heard your noisy breathing."

Liam and Zayn got up from their spots on the floor to hover near the bed. "Hey there, Hazza. How're you doing?" Liam asked with a smile.

"I've been better, but I think I'll survive," he replied. "Hey, how was the first day over at _X-Factor_?"

"It's going to be crazy," Zayn told him. "So much to do. We have the list to make a choice for our first song, but we didn't want to do that without you."

Harry smiled sweetly. "Thanks."

"We just have to choose by the time we get to the studio tomorrow," Liam informed him.

Harry nodded his understanding, then said, "Niall?"

Niall had hung back a little while the other lads chatted with Harry, unsure of his welcome, given that he had been the orchestrator (however unwitting) of the day's events. "Hi, Harry."

"Come here," Harry ordered, straightening himself up in bed and gently pushing Louis away so he could spread out his arms to Niall.

Niall smiled gratefully as he fell into the hug, sitting in the space Louis had just been occupying.

"I'm fine," Harry assured Niall as they hugged. "I want you not to feel guilty, okay?"

"I'm really sorry," Niall told him anyway. "I promise it won't happen again."

Harry finally pulled away to say, "Well, you may be able to promise that you won't leave your shoes out, but I promise I will trip and fall again. Happens. It's okay. Okay?"

Niall nodded, then remembered what had gotten him into this mess in the first place and added, "Okay."

"It's over?" Harry checked with a grin.

"It's over," Niall agreed.

"So, where is the list?" Harry asked. "We should go ahead and pick a song." When Niall rose, Harry threw back his duvet.

Louis stepped forward again. "Do you need any more paracetemol? Any food?"

Harry thought about it for a moment, then answered, "No to the food, but yes to the paracetemol."

"I'll go get you some," Louis offered.

"I still have the glass from earlier," Harry told him, twisting around to run his fingertips along the sill next to his bed until they ran into the glass he'd placed there a few hours earlier. He grabbed it and the pill next to it. "I just need one."

"Okay." Louis retreated to the bathroom to get the bottle of medicine, bringing it with him back to the bedroom. He got out a pill for Harry, putting it in Harry's waiting palm with the other one. "I'll set the bottle on the sill, in case you need more later."

Harry downed the pills, then said, "Thanks. Now, how about we find a song?"

Louis guided Harry down to the floor and into their circle as Niall and Zayn cleaned up the cards and poker chips and Liam pulled out the list and found a pen to make notes.

They bandied about different titles, rejecting most of them on various grounds--again with the cliché, a few were thrown out because one or the other of the boys had a bad association with it, a few were songs none of the boys even knew--until they came up with a short list. When they really focused on what they thought they'd sound good singing together, their short list only produced one option: "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay.

Thrilled they had made a choice, the boys decided to head downstairs and, in deference to Harry's head injury, rest in front of the television.

They installed Harry in the middle of the couch, Louis on one side of him, Niall on the other. Liam and Zayn sprawled on pillows on the floor in front of them.

Liam took charge of the remote and zipped through all the channels until he came across _Star Wars_. When there were excited squeals from both Niall and Zayn, he stopped there. Harry told them that he'd never seen _Star Wars_ before, and Zayn declared that was heresy, even if Harry was blind.

Harry didn't manage to see the movie then, either. By the time Han Solo appeared on the scene, Harry's head was in Louis' lap and his feet were in Niall's, and he was completely passed out again.

Louis spent most of the movie absently running his fingers through Harry's curls, and he was pleased that Harry's sleep didn't seem restless. He assumed that Harry just needed more time to recoup from the trauma of the morning.

Luke Skywalker was about to blow up the Death Star when the other contestants started trickling in from their first _X-Factor_ day. Several of them, Cher, Rebecca, and Aiden included, came over to inquire after Harry's condition. Even though they spoke in hushed tones, Harry stirred, and he was able to assure them himself that he was okay as he returned to an upright position in between his bandmates.

It was just about dinner time, so a big group of them gathered in the kitchen to try to find something to make for dinner. Harry sat at the table, his head resting on his arms, while the others who were assembled put together a dinner of sausages, mash, and beans. As they worked to pull the meal together, those who had stayed at the studio regaled One Direction with tales of fighting over what songs to do and how harsh the vocal coaches had been.

After they'd eaten and cleaned the kitchen, Louis encouraged Harry to go back to bed. Harry tried to protest, but he didn't get very far. Not when Niall, Liam, and Zayn got in on the action and took Louis' side. Under the weight of their argument, Harry caved and allowed Louis to lead him upstairs to bed. They sat side by side on Harry's bed once they got there.

"Here," Louis said, taking up the bottle of paracetemol again. "Take two more of these."

Harry dutifully took the pills and the glass of water from Louis and swallowed the medicine.

"How's the head feeling?" Louis asked, putting his hand on Harry's thigh.

"Better, I think. I still have a headache, but it's less than it was before."

"Hopefully a good night's sleep will take care of the rest of it," Louis said.

Harry nodded.

"Do you want to shower before you go to sleep?" Louis wondered aloud.

Harry shook his head this time. "No. I'll get one in the morning."

"Okay, then. Under the covers you go."

Both boys stood and Louis pulled back the duvet so Harry could crawl under it. Harry handed Louis the four extra pillows he had. "You guys might need them," he commented with a smile before adjusting his head on his own pillow in such a way as to put zero pressure on the injured part of his forehead. Louis used this time to redistribute the pillows to their rightful locations.

"Comfy?" Louis checked when he returned to Harry's bedside.

Harry nodded. "Thanks."

Louis leaned over to kiss Harry's cheek. "We'll be right downstairs if you need something. Just come to the top of the stairs and yell."

Harry reached out to Louis, grabbing his elbow and working his way down to Louis' hand, squeezing tight.

"What is it, love?" Louis asked, suddenly worried.

"Stay with me?" Harry requested in a small voice.

Louis smiled. "Of course. Give me one second." First he changed out of his clothes into a pair of pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt. Then, he went and got his pillow back from where he'd just replaced it. That done, he asked, "Do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?"

"Little," Harry answered decisively.

"You got it." Louis reached over to wedge his pillow in the corner before climbing carefully over Harry to slot himself behind him, sliding under the duvet. 

Harry instantly moved to nestle himself in Louis' arms. Louis wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and pulled him in tight. Harry covered Louis' arms with his own and sighed contentedly.

"Comfy?" Louis asked again.

"I am. Are you?"

"I am," Louis echoed.

Harry whispered, "Thank you for staying."

Louis pressed a kiss to the back of Harry's head. "You're welcome."

Louis could feel it as Harry relaxed. It wasn't long at all before his breathing became deeper and evened out, and Louis knew Harry was asleep. Louis continued to hold Harry close, just reveling in knowing Harry was okay, and they had each other. He wasn't aware when he drifted off to sleep himself. He only knew that his dreams were sweet and filled with hope about all that was on its way.

* * *

Other than some serious ribbing Harry and Louis got in the morning from the other three boys for falling asleep in the same bed, the next day felt like a redo. This time Harry made it from the washroom back into the bedroom without any problems, and they made it to the studio on time, all five of them together, ready to kill the competition.

They got to meet their vocal coach, a guy called Savan Kotecha. They told him the song they'd chosen, and they spent the entire morning working through the song and deciding on the best arrangement for the song. They were pretty happy with how it was sounding when it was time for them to enjoy a catered lunch.

The afternoon was devoted to a rehearsal of their group number. They were all gathered together in the main auditorium to practise.

The vocal coaches were in charge of the group number, and once all the contestants were seated, they were reminded that the song they would be doing was "Rhythm of the Night" by Corona. Lyrics were passed out to everyone but Harry.

This was not the first time something had been passed out to them that needed to be read to Harry. The lists of songs, the paperwork, lyrics of the songs they sang at boot camp. None of the boys minded reading to Harry, but Louis decided that now that they'd made the live shows, it would be nice if the show would acknowledge that Harry deserved a little accommodation.

When the contestants were given a few minutes to study the words, Louis excused himself from the other boys and went up to where Savan was talking to one of the other vocal coaches while they waited to be able to move on to the next step in the rehearsal.

Louis cleared his throat nervously. "Savan?"

"Louis. Hi," Savan returned brightly. "What can I do for you?"

"I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but do you think it would be possible to get the lyrics translated into Braille for Harry?" Louis requested.

Louis thought for a second that Savan was going to argue with him on this matter, especially when Savan shook his head. Louis was gearing up to argue right back when Savan said, "I can't believe we didn't think of that already."

Louis smiled indulgently. "It's okay. He hasn't complained. But it isn't fair, and I know he feels bad when we have to read for him."

Savan nodded his understanding. "Of course. I can't make it happen today, with this song, but if I promise next time out that there will be Braille for him, is that okay?"

"That would be great," Louis told him. "Thanks."

As Louis made his way back to the band, he decided to keep his discussion with Savan a secret and let the Braille lyrics--whenever they appeared--be a nice surprise for Harry.

The afternoon was spent just practising singing the song as a group. Once they all had the melody and lyrics, they could decide who would sing what. That was a decision for a later day, as they needed to spend the last couple hours of the work day doing some show promo. For some of the contestants that meant an interview, for some it meant filming bumpers and getting-to-know-you featurettes for the show, and for One Direction it meant participating in a photo shoot.

They were escorted to a large room in a part of the studio the boys had not yet been to. A photographer who introduced himself as David Benjamin had set up shop in one half of the room. The other half was occupied by many racks of clothing, all under the charge of a woman who was called Carina Waters, one of several wardrobe assistants at _The X-Factor_. In one corner of the room was a make-up area.

The minute David had them in front of them, he honed right in on the bandage adorning Harry's forehead. He called Carina over for a consult. "Is there anything can we do about that?" he pointed to the bandage.

"What is he talking about?" Harry whispered to Louis.

"Your bandage, I think," Louis whispered back.

Harry winced. "I'm sorry."

David must have had supersonic hearing, because he immediately said, "No, it's okay, Harry. Nothing we can't handle. Right, Carina?"

Carina smiled. "Right. Boys--all of you--follow me."

The boys dutifully followed her over to stand amongst the racks and racks of clothes she had on display. "What you have on is fine, but look through to see if there's anything you like. Once you're wearing what you like, you can see Mel--" she pointed to a woman organizing containers in the make-up corner, "--and she'll get your hair and make-up sorted."

"Make-up?" Zayn said dubiously.

Carina smiled, clearly amused. "Don't worry. We're just going to touch up your hair and put on just enough make-up that you don't wash out under the lights."

Zayn visibly relaxed. "Cool."

"I have an idea for that bandage, Harry," Carina went on. "I have a basket of hats over here. If Mel does your fringe just the right way and we add a hat, that should cover it."

Harry shrugged good-naturedly. "Sounds good."

Louis spied the basket Carina was talking about and pulled Harry over to the basket to start trying on hats right away.

Harry turned out to be a very willing guinea pig, and as Louis started trying different hats on Harry's head, Liam, Niall, and Zayn got in on the action, sharing their opinions. They quickly developed a system. Louis would hand Harry a hat for Harry's inspection. Harry would either reject it or let Louis place it atop his head. Then Niall, Zayn, and Liam would give it a yay or a nay.

They finally settled on what Louis called "a jaunty fedora." It was brown and nicely complemented the brown pants and beige top Harry had chosen that morning, not to mention his chestnut-coloured curls.

That settled, the boys pawed through the racks of clothes. Carina had an impressive array of styles and colours to choose from, but in the end, they didn't change much about what they were already wearing. Zayn found a cool leather jacket he slung on over his t-shirt, and Niall found a baseball shirt he liked a lot better than the shirt he'd thrown on that morning. They more or less agreed that they didn't want to look "put together." They wanted to present themselves just the way they were. None of that matchy-matchy shit for them. It wouldn't have made them comfortable.

Once they were clothed as they desired, they allowed Mel to touch up their hair and apply just enough make-up to look good under the lights. Harry was a little perplexed by the whole concept of make-up, and Mel learned the hard way to warn him about what she was doing when she freaked him out by putting the make-up brush to his cheek without announcing it first. Louis assured Harry that he looked very handsome, and Harry relaxed at Louis' assurances. Once Mel fixed Harry's fringe, Louis helped situate the fedora just so, and the bandage didn't even show.

The photo shoot turned out to be easy and fun. None of them were used to having their picture taken by a professional beyond school photos, but David just kind of let them be themselves, goofing around with each other and posing in ways that seemed natural. Harry wasn't always good at looking right toward the camera when the rest of the boys were, but when David showed them some of the shots, it actually worked. Louis thought they all looked really good, like a cohesive group, a legit boy band.

A boy band that was legitimately exhausted. When their car returned them to the house, they barely made it through a dinner of sandwiches and crisps before they all passed out in front of the television. Mary Byrne had to wake them up to urge them to move upstairs to bed.

As Louis stumbled up to bed behind Liam, Niall, and Zayn, Harry sleepily trailing behind him, he knew this was only the first of many long days. It had been a good long day, though, and he hoped for many repeats.

* * *

The next several days were a whirlwind of rehearsals. The mornings were spent with the boys perfecting "Viva La Vida," while the afternoons were practise with the group on "Rhythm of the Night." Each day brought something new after group rehearsal: interviews, both individual and group, press gatherings, more photo shoots, and workshops on being successful _X-Factor_ contestants.

Finally, before the boys knew it, the day of the first live show arrived.

Ever since the night following Harry's unfortunate tumble, Louis had taken to slipping in behind Harry at bedtime. So much so that his own bed had, more or less, become a storage area. The night before that first live show was no exception.

As usual, Louis woke first in the morning, burying his nose in Harry's curls and just listening to him breathe. Louis couldn't quite get over how hard he'd fallen for the boy he held in his arms. It felt amazing, how he imagined flying would feel. And he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. As Harry stirred, waking up, he seemed to instinctively burrow deeper into Louis' embrace, holding tightly to Louis' hands where they were clasped around his waist.

Eventually, Harry pulled in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Morning, Louis," he whispered, always mindful that he and Louis may have been the only ones awake.

"Good morning, love," Louis whispered back.

"It's live show day," Harry remembered.

"It certainly is. You nervous?"

"Kind of petrified," Harry admitted.

Just two weeks earlier, their time at boot camp had been presented to the UK, and it had become immediately evident that Harry was going to be an audience favourite. The ITV network had already received a great deal of positive feedback for both Harry and the entire band, and the staff had been generous is passing that on.

Louis hugged him tighter. "You're going to be great. Everyone has already fallen in love with you. Including me."

Louis didn't have to see Harry's face to know he was blushing furiously. Louis pressed a kiss to the top of Harry's head. "Ready to get ready?" he asked.

Harry shook his head the smallest amount. "Just a couple more minutes," he requested.

"Okay," Louis murmured. "Take all the time you need."

Harry was silent for several long moments. Softly, then, he wondered aloud, "You really think it'll go well?"

"We've practised that song a thousand times," Louis reminded him. "I think it'll be really good."

Harry nodded. "Okay." He hauled in another deep breath. "Let's get ready, then."

The two boys took turns in the washroom before waking Niall, Liam, and Zayn. After dressing, they packed a duffle bag with the clothes they wanted to wear for the live show. After the other boys did the same, they all forced themselves to eat breakfast, despite their jangled nerves.

All the contestants were ferried to the studio for final rehearsals and sound checks. Then it was just a matter of waiting.

One Direction had their own little dressing room. As they waited for their turn with hair and make-up, they changed into their clothes. Louis had chosen to be comfortable in a white t-shirt, brown pants he pulled up to just under his knees and some loafers, no socks. Harry had chosen a plaid shirt with a cowl neck, some dark jeans, and boots.

The wardrobe people had left a rack with some jackets and shirts in their dressing room, and Louis expended some of his nervous energy rifling through the clothes. He found a black jacket somewhere in the middle.

"Harry!" he called. "Try this on."

Harry turned from where he sat on the couch set in the corner. "What?"

"This awesome leather jacket," Louis described. "I think it would look amazing on you."

Harry stood, and Louis walked the jacket over to him, urging him to turn around so Louis could help him slip it on. Once it was situated, Louis stepped back to appraise Harry's new look.

Harry smiled shyly and held his arms out a little. "How does it look?"

Louis smiled. "Even better than I thought. I think it looks really good. What do you lads think?"

Zayn, Niall, and Liam all looked up. Zayn and Niall both wolf-whistled while Liam commented, "Looks good, Haz."

"Then I'll keep it," Harry decided.

Before they knew it, the make-up and hair people were there to make sure they looked presentable for national television. Not long after that, they were summoned backstage.

The boys all huddled together in the spot to which they were directed, waiting to be introduced by Dermot O'Leary along with all the other finalists.

Zayn peeked through the curtains in front of them. "It's a full house," he announced.

Louis had his arm slung over Harry's shoulder, and he felt him shudder at Zayn's words. Louis pulled Harry in tight. "It's going to be fine. You don't even have to look at them," he joked.

"Ha ha," Harry returned as Zayn, Liam, and Niall groaned.

"We're going to kick ass," Niall said.

And kick ass they did. Or Louis thought they did. The next hour went by in a haze, but there was massive applause for them, both when they were introduced and then again when they sang their song. The judges were overwhelmingly positive, and all the comments they were offered backstage were glowing with praise.

Louis felt justifiably proud of himself. This was what he'd set out to do months ago when he had first applied to be on _The X-Factor_. Even if they didn't make it through the next night, he still felt like they'd accomplished something great.

And if he was proud of himself, he was twice as proud of Harry. Harry had been phenomenal. There wasn't a soul watching the show who would have been able to tell he was nervous. He had carried himself with such poise, using Louis as a guide, his hand light and confident on Louis' elbow. He had made not a single misstep, and his smile had been radiant. Louis knew from experience how devastating Harry's smile could be, and he hoped it earned them many, many votes.

The boys got to spend a little time with visiting family before making their way to an after-show party where they got to eat a large assortment of hors d'oeuvres, drink fancy virgin cocktails, and mingle with contestants, judges, and staff. It was a lovely celebration of a successful first live show.

Five exhausted boys climbed into bed immediately upon arriving back at the house. Louis, as usual, inserted himself behind Harry after both boys changed into pyjama bottoms and t-shirts.

As Louis took Harry into his arms, Harry sleepily observed, "That was so much fun."

Louis smiled. "It was, wasn't it? Such a complete rush."

"I'd never even dared to imagine it would go so well. What did you guys think?" Harry asked the room.

"I thought it was wicked cool," Niall said.

"Yeah," Zayn agreed. "It was cool."

"The audience really seemed to get into our song," Liam noted. "If we get through, we have a lot to live up to. We're going to have to work really hard."

"Slave driver can't even let us enjoy the moment," Louis teased.

"I just want us to get through," Liam said defensively.

"I know," Louis told him. "Me, too."

"We'll get through," Niall proclaimed confidently.

"And so say you?" Louis countered, grinning widely in the dark.

"And so say I," Niall confirmed.

"Then we're good to go," Harry said, a smile in his voice.

"I am wiped," Zayn announced. "Night, lads."

"Me, too," Liam said. "Great job, boys. We've earned our sleep tonight."

"Night, all." Niall yawned loudly, and Louis heard him turn himself over to face the opposite wall.

"Night," Louis returned.

"Louis?" Harry kept his voice low in the now-quiet room.

"Hm?"

Harry twisted in Louis' arms until his was facing him. He reached out a hand to cup Louis' cheek, then leaned in for a kiss. When he'd thoroughly plundered Louis' mouth, Harry pulled away and then softly, for Louis' ears only, said, "I love you."

It was the first time either of them had said those three little words. Louis was overwhelmed with joy. As his face split into a smile, he leaned in himself for a kiss. "I love you back," he whispered.

They moved in for another round of kisses, but were shortly interrupted by Liam's weary voice. "Get a room, you two."

"We have one," Louis retorted, though with no malice.

"Ha. Very funny, Lou."

"Sorry, Li," Harry apologised for the both of them.

"Night, lovebirds," Liam said fondly.

"Night." Louis and Harry spoke as one.

After a moment more, Louis put his mouth right up by Harry's ear. "We’ll pick this up again tomorrow."

The moonlight lit Harry's mischievous smile. "I'm counting on it," Harry told him, whispering once more.

Louis placed one more chaste kiss on Harry's lips before urging Harry to turn back over to resume his position as the little spoon.

As he fell into a much-needed sleep, Louis couldn't remember a better day.

* * *

Once they made it through the first live and first results show, they all breathed a huge sigh of relief. Each of them got a huge boost of confidence from getting enough votes to make the second live show.

The whole of One Direction was in high spirits when they gathered at the _X-Factor_ studio the day after the results show to first learn what group number they would be performing, then break away to choose their own song for the week.

The vocal coaches were again in charge of the group number, and they wasted no time in announcing the contestants would be singing the Lady Gaga/Beyonce song "Telephone."

Louis held his breath as one of the assistants passed out lyric sheets. His heart filled with joy as the assistant reached One Direction's row and she clearly held four regular sheets of paper and what looked like two slightly oversized, stapled pieces of paper that were clearly written on in Braille. Harry was on the end of the row, and she passed the regular papers over to Louis--who sat next to Harry--and, gaining his attention by saying his name, handed the Brailled papers to Harry.

It took Harry a little bit to get it. His first instinct was to pass the papers he'd been given to Louis, assuming that Louis would read them to him. Louis simply pushed the hand Harry grasped the papers in away. "I can't read those," Louis told him with a wide smile. "They're yours."

A look of pure confusion crossed over Harry's face, and he ran a hand over the top of the page. Louis could tell the moment Harry realised he held a Braille copy of the lyrics. It was like watching the sun come out on a cloudy day.

"It's Braille," Harry whispered incredulously.

"It would appear to be, yes," Louis confirmed.

Harry turned his face toward Louis. "You did this."

Modestly, Louis replied, "I might have said something."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." Louis reached over to tap Harry's papers pointedly. "Time to study the lyrics now."

Harry grinned and immediately situated his papers on his lap so he could read them. Louis took great joy in tearing his eyes from his own lyric sheet to watch Harry every few seconds. He would have to remember to thank Savan personally later for making this possible. He could tell it meant to world to Harry to be able to learn the lyrics on his own, not having to rely on his bandmates this time out.

The group rehearsal went smoothly, and after a lunch break, the boys convened in the practise room they had used the week before to pick their own song.

The theme this week was "Heroes," and the boys had a diverse list of singers and groups who fell into that category for them, so it took a good while to winnow down the list they were given and agree on a song. Finally, though, they chose "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson. They reasoned that she had won the very first _American Idol_ competition, so she was definitely someone worth revering and modeling themselves on, as they aimed to be winners, too.

They spent most of the afternoon working on the song. They were called in to do some post-results show interviews before they could leave for the evening.

As usual, they arrived back at the house exhausted, having barely enough energy to eat dinner and collapse in front of the television with some of their housemates before dragging themselves to bed at an hour they felt wasn't so early as to be disrespectable.

This quickly became a routine they fell into: wake up way earlier than their teenaged bodies wanted to, eat breakfast, catch a ride to the studio, work, work, maybe eat lunch, work, work, catch a ride home, struggle to make it through dinner, vegetate in front of the TV, and finally collapse in bed at an earlier hour than their teenaged bodies wanted to.

Before they knew it, it was the day of live show number two.

The morning began like most of the others which preceded it. Louis and Harry were the first ones up, and Harry took the washroom first. When he returned and started looking for clothes, Louis couldn't help noticing how pale he looked.

"You feeling okay, Haz?" Louis asked, concerned.

Harry smiled a little at the nickname Liam had started, but which had quickly stuck, then shrugged. "Enh. A little queasy. I'm sure it's just nerves."

"You sure?"

Harry nodded, pulling a collared t-shirt and a pullover sweater out from his pile of clothes to wear. "I'll be fine. May skip breakfast, though."

"Okay." 

Harry sipped at some tea in the kitchen, but didn't partake of any kind of breakfast, just like he'd projected. Louis still thought he looked awfully pale, but he didn't say anything else. Harry looked determined to just get to the day's work.

When they got to the studio, One Direction had to wait a little while to have their turn to practise on the stage. They passed the time in the green room backstage, just hanging out and chatting with some of the other contestants who were also waiting.

Harry still looked really pale, and Louis tried to coax him into drinking a soda, hoping the carbonation would make him feel less nauseated. Harry did manage a few sips before they were called to the stage for their sound check.

Louis kept one eye on Harry as Liam worked his way through his initial solo. When it was time for the others to join in, Harry covered his mouth with his hand and crouched down. The entire band immediately stopped singing, and the music stopped a moment after. Louis crouched down right next to Harry, placing his hand on his boyfriend's knee so Harry would know he was there.

"Harry, what is it?" Louis asked worriedly.

Harry's hand still covered his mouth, and he shook his head.

"Do you feel like you might be sick?" Liam jumped into the conversation, such as it was.

"I don't know," Harry mumbled.

The boys were all silent for a moment, waiting to see if Harry would recover. He was so focused on Harry, Louis barely even noticed one of the stagehands bringing over a bin. When he did notice it, Louis pulled it close and moved Harry's free hand to the bin's brim. "Just in case you need to be sick."

Harry offered a minute nod. After another moment, though, he moved to stand, and the others stood with him. At that juncture, Liesel, the assistant who had stayed with Harry after his fall the week before, walked over. "Hi, Harry," she said softly.

"Hi," he returned weakly.

"Can I feel your forehead?" she wanted to know.

Harry nodded, and Liesel pushed his mass of curls out of the way so she could press her palm against his forehead. "You feel a tiny bit warm, but I don't think it's any big deal."

Savan appeared on the scene, then. "Hey, Harry."

"Hey," Harry said.

"Do you think you can sing?" Savan inquired kindly.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so."

Savan sighed. "I think he needs to see a doctor." When the four other boys turned to give him sharp looks, he explained, "I just feel like we should take him out. I would like him to sit out of this. I mean, if he can't really sing, there's no point in him being here. He needs to see a doctor to find out if something's wrong."

At Savan's words, Harry started to cry just a little. Louis didn't know if the tears were because he felt ill or because he was being made to leave the sound check. Niall took Harry in his arms, though, and Zayn reached out to soothingly run a hand through Harry's hair as Louis turned to speak to Savan. "I'm going with him."

Savan shook his head. "No, you can't. You need to stay here and finish the sound check with the rest of the boys, then do the scheduled press interviews."

Louis was on the verge of arguing when he really paid attention to the look on their vocal coach's face. He wasn't going to budge. Louis sighed.

Liesel piped up, "I'll take him back to the house and get the doctor in. I'm sure with a little rest, he'll be fine."

"Okay," Louis relented. "Just be careful. Don't forget to tell him about stairs, and make sure he knows what's going on."

Liesel smiled and placed a comforting hand on Louis' bicep. "I'll take good care of him. I promise." She turned, then, to Harry. "Ready to go, Harry?"

Harry nodded and reached out a hand for Liesel's elbow.

Louis grabbed Harry's free hand before he could leave. "Feel better, Haz. See you soon."

"See you soon," Harry echoed, squeezing Louis' hand, then letting it go.

As Harry started to move away, Louis remembered something. "Wait!" Harry and Liesel stopped in their tracks, and Liesel regarded Louis with a questioning look. Louis explained, "He'll need his cane. We left it backstage. I'll get it."

Louis didn't even wait for acknowledgement. He ran backstage and into the green room where they had waited for their turn on stage. He found Harry's cane sitting just where they'd left it, on a small coffee table. He didn't need it on stage, but he always had it nearby, in the event he did need it elsewhere. Louis grabbed it and headed back to where Harry waited.

"Here it is, Haz." Harry reached out, and Louis pressed it into his hand.

"Thanks," Harry said as he removed his hand from Liesel's arm long enough to stretch the cane out so he could use it. Once he had it situated, Harry took Liesel's elbow again, and they resumed their journey.

Louis followed Harry with his eyes as Liesel guided him off the stage and down the closest aisle, Harry angling the cane in front of him. Louis continued to keep his gaze on them until they disappeared from view and Savan commanded, "Back to work, boys. From the top."

Louis was completely distracted for the next little while. They performed their song all the way through twice, then debriefed with Savan before they went backstage to talk with some assorted reporters. They were broken up into pairs--Louis with Zayn and Liam with Niall--and asked all kinds of questions.

The first reporter who met with them asked after Harry, and Louis made sure to make it clear just how important Harry was to him and the rest of the lads and how much they hoped he would be feeling better soon. Of course, the reporter wanted to make a big deal about Harry being blind, but Louis and Zayn both made it clear that it wasn't a big deal. When she tried to get them to admit that they had to make huge adjustments to accommodate Harry, they told her that was categorically untrue. Louis hoped Liam and Niall were handling things the same way. He didn't want to see Harry torn down in the press.

By the time they'd sat with the fifth and last reporter, Louis was well and truly tired of answering the same questions. Since his time on _The X-Factor_ had begun, Lord knew he had sat through many an interview, and he didn't usually mind answering questions. After all, this was part of what he'd signed up for. The press was a big part of the music world, and he would have to deal with it for as long as he was involved in that world.

Even the questions about Harry were usually not too troublesome. And they were understandable. Harry was a first. The first blind person on _The X-Factor_. The first blind person in a boy band. Like him before he'd run into Harry, most people hadn't had a lot of exposure to someone who was blind. People were curious. Louis knew he was annoyed this time out not so much because of the content of the questions, but because he was so worried about Harry, and he tried to police himself and not let his irritation show.

Finally, when it was mid-afternoon, they were released until it was time to get ready for the live show that evening. Liam, Niall, and Zayn said they just wanted to hang out at the studio until it was time to change. Louis, however, couldn't get into a car fast enough, and he had the driver take him to the house. He had to check on Harry.

When he arrived at the house, it was relatively quiet. Most of the contestants had chosen, like his bandmates, to stay at the studio and just hang out. The girls of Belle Amie were in the front room, chilling to a movie set at a low volume. Mary Byrne was sitting in one of the easy chairs reading a book, and he thought he heard soft noises coming from the kitchen. But that was it. The house was usually ten times louder. Hopefully the calm atmosphere was helping with Harry's recovery.

Liesel was coming down the stairs when Louis was starting up them. "Hi, Louis," she greeted him.

"Hi." He cut to the chase."How is he?"

"He's getting better. He's going to be fine for tonight."

Louis smiled. "Did the doctor come?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"I'll let Harry tell you," Liesel said, returning his smile. "Go on up. He just woke up."

"Thanks."

The door to their room was closed when Louis got there. He cracked it open and knocked. "Harry?"

"Louis!" Harry's voice called from within. He sounded extremely happy that Louis had appeared.

Louis moved into the room, closing the door behind himself. "Hi there. How're you feeling?"

Harry had clearly been lying down in the bed, but was working on levering himself up to a sitting position. "Better."

Louis sat down on the edge of the bed facing Harry, and once Harry seemed settled in a more upright position, Louis reached out to take his hand. "Liesel said the doctor came?"

Harry nodded. "He said maybe it was nerves, maybe a small stomach bug. He gave me some medicine, and I slept. I don't feel nearly as ill as I did this morning."

"That's great. You think you'll be up for performing tonight?

Harry nodded again. "I think so."

"Excellent." Louis leaned forward and kissed Harry on the cheek. "We missed you."

Harry smiled softly. "You did?"

"Of course," Louis assured him. "We didn't sound the same without you. It was so strange singing without you there next to me."

"I missed you, too," Harry revealed. Giggling a little, he added, "When I was conscious."

They sat silently for a few moments, just happy to be in each other's company. Harry broke the silence when he said, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Louis repeated, confused. "Sorry for what? For getting sick?"

Harry nodded sadly.

"Don't be silly. It's not like you did it on purpose."

"I messed up the sound check," Harry persisted, not willing to absolve himself of any guilt.

"You didn't," Louis told him. "We got through it. And we know the song backwards and forwards. We're going to kick some major ass tonight."

Harry offered a small smile. "I certainly hope so."

Louis glanced at the clock Niall had set on the ledge behind his bed. "We have about an hour left until we have to be back at the studio. Do you think you could eat something, or do you want to try to rest a little more?"

"Mmm…. No food," Harry said definitively. "Maybe one more nap."

"I'll wake you up in enough time to try something small, like crackers or toast," Louis promised. "Go ahead and lay down now."

Harry followed orders and scooched down under the covers. Louis reached over and brushed some of the hair off Harry's forehead, gently tracing the small scar left behind from his fall. It was still a little pink, but healing nicely.

"Sit with me?" Harry murmured.

Louis moved to sit at the end of the bed, his back against the wall, his knees bent over Harry's legs. He squeezed Harry's knee under the duvet. "I'll just sit here and mess with my phone."

"Good."

While Harry napped, Louis checked his e-mail and his Twitter feed, then played some games until it was time to rouse Harry.

Liesel came to the door at just about that time, knocking softly and poking her head in. When Louis put his index finger to his lips, she nodded and whispered, "Car will be here in twenty minutes or so. You guys will need to be ready to go."

Louis nodded. She backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Louis climbed off the bed and moved to squat down at the head of the bed. "Harry," he called softly, reaching out to run a hand through Harry's curls. "Time to wake up."

Harry stirred at Louis' voice, then stretched his arms up over his head. "Is it time to go already?"

"Almost. They'll be here in about twenty minutes, and I want you to try to eat something."

Harry didn't argue. He simply threw his covers off and slid off the bed. "I just need the washroom real quick. Meet you in the kitchen?"

"Sure." Louis let Harry go ahead of him. Harry had learned the house pretty well by this time, and he needed neither cane nor guide to get around. They separated when they exited their bedroom, Harry heading to the washroom and Louis down the stairs and into the kitchen to hunt some food that wouldn't upset Harry's stomach.

Harry appeared in the kitchen doorway less than five minutes later. By this time, Louis had found some crackers, a loaf of bread, and some microwavable macaroni and cheese. The kitchen was devoid of any other housemates, as they had all, apparently, already headed over to the studio.

"So, there's bread for toast, some crackers, or I can microwave you some macaroni and cheese," Louis listed the options for Harry.

"Are we alone?" Harry checked before moving into the room.

"Yep. It's just you and me. Liesel's in the lounge."

Harry walked over to take a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen island. "I think I could handle some toast, maybe some tea?"

"The tea will have to be microwaved," Louis warned. "We don't have time to use a kettle."

Harry heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I guess that will have to do. But just this once."

Louis chuckled as he set about putting two pieces of bread in the toaster and a mug with water and a teabag in the microwave. A couple minutes later, he was setting a plate of toast and a mug of tea fixed just the way Harry liked in front of him.

"Do you want anything on the toast? Jam? Marmalade? Peanut butter? Just butter?"

Harry shook his head and lifted a piece of plain toast to his mouth. "Dry is fine."

He took it slow, but Harry was able to finish all the toast and tea.

"How do you feel?" Louis asked as he took the empty plate and mug and placed them in the dishwasher.

"Good," Harry returned.

Liesel entered the kitchen. "Hey there, boys. Car's here. You ready?"

"Harry?" Louis left it up to his boyfriend to give the okay.

"Ready. Let's do it."

Louis and Harry stopped only to collect Harry's cane from the hook by the front door that Liam had fetched and hung on their second day in the house. Then it was in the car and back to the studio.

Liam, Niall, and Zayn greeted Harry as if he'd just come home from a war. They enveloped him in a huge group hug, causing a huge grin to appear on his face.

When they let him go, Liam was the first to ask, "How are you feeling, Harry?"

"Much better, thanks," Harry told him.

"Did the doctor sort you out, then?" Niall spoke up.

"I think so. I'm ready to go."

Now they were a proper quintet again, they retired first to their dressing room to change, then to hair and make-up to be ready for the live show. After their introduction on the stage at the start of the show, they stood in a nervous group backstage waiting for their turn.

While their weekly interview reel was playing, they got in a huddle and wished each other luck. They didn't need it. They killed the song. It was as if Harry had never been gone. They sang with energy and joy, and they had the best time. And it was enough to send them through to the next week. 

* * *

By Week Three, the boys were hitting their stride. They had a routine they were more or less adjusted to, and they all felt like not only had they jelled as a group, but they felt like they'd been a group for more than just barely three months. And though they had started off the week with one song only to have to change it when the song never did feel right, they were confident that their performance at that week's live show would go well. The new song, "Nobody Knows," was coming along well by mid-week.

The day had been long. They had practised their song in the morning, then spent the afternoon with the other contestants choreographing their group number. That particular process was still a little unnerving for them, since any moves they made had to take into account Zayn's anxiety and the logistics of making sure Harry knew where to go. The rehearsal had been successful, though, and One Direction was happy when they crowded around the TV with a few of their housemates to watch a movie.

The boys had claimed one of the couches for themselves, squeezing in together. But not long into the movie, Louis could tell that Harry was bored. Niall and Zayn had been trying to explain what was going on, but the movie the group had picked was pretty visual and not easily described. Louis recognised the look on Harry's face that indicated he was not totally there, but was, rather, thinking of something or someplace else.

Louis leaned over and whispered in Harry's ear, "Want to go upstairs and find some other kind of entertainment?"

The blush that instantly coloured Harry's cheeks was endearing. He nodded. "Sure," he whispered back.

Louis took hold of Harry's hand and rose, pulling the younger boy up with him. He cleared his throat to gain the attention of those watching TV, in particular their bandmates. "Harry and I are going upstairs. We'd like the room…for a little while." He pointedly connected gazes with Liam, who took a moment, but then made a little "o" with his mouth and nodded.

Niall, Zayn, and Aiden wolf-whistled, and Louis gave them an unobstructed view of his middle finger as he led Harry to the stairs.

When they entered the bedroom, Louis locked the door behind them.

"So," Harry began, his tone telling Louis he might have been a little bit nervous, "what did you have in mind? I packed a deck of Braille playing cards."

Louis took both of Harry's hands in his and pulled him toward the bed they'd shared ever since their second night in the house. "Now I know you know I didn't want to come up here to play cards."

"You didn't?"

Harry's misguided attempt at feigning innocence made Louis grin. He leaned over to press a kiss to Harry's lips. "I had something a little different in mind."

"Oh?" Harry's attempt at being cheeky was a little more successful.

"Mhm." Louis slipped his hands around the back of Harry's neck and pulled him in for a kiss that was anything but chaste. His tongue darted in and out of Harry's mouth as Harry's tongue made forays into Louis'.

As they wrapped their arms around each other, matching chest to chest and groin to groin, it was easy for Louis to know the moment Harry became hard.

This was not even remotely the first time Louis had been aware of Harry's arousal. And he knew it wasn't the first time Harry had been aware of his. They slept in the same bed, and they both awoke virtually every day with morning wood. Louis assumed that Harry, like him, had been taking care of this as part of their washroom routine. Now, however, they could take care of it another, much more pleasurable way.

Louis maneuvered them sideways so he could lower Harry to the bed. Harry got the message loud and clear and disentangled himself from Louis long enough to situate himself on the bed so he was reclining, his head on the pillows bunched at the head. Louis immediately covered Harry with himself.

Louis took his time to thoroughly explore Harry's mouth before leaving his mouth to trail kisses down his neckline. When he came to the collar of Harry's t-shirt, he tugged at it. "This needs to go."

Harry pushed Louis onto his thighs so he could sit up and yank off his shirt. Louis used the time to do the same. As soon as their shirts were in a heap on the floor, Louis returned his lips to Harry's collarbone, nipping at the skin there before working his way further south to Harry's chest.

While Louis was busy tenderly teasing one of Harry's nipples, Harry was busy mapping Louis with his fingertips, running his hands down Louis' arms and across Louis' chest, tweaking Louis' nipples when he found them.

Louis used his own fingertips to draw a line from the center of Harry's chest to the top of his jeans. He undid the button and the zipper, then slipped his hand into Harry's boxers so he could palm Harry's hard-as-a-rock erection.

Harry stiffened the minute Louis' hand touched his cock, so Louis stilled his hand. "You okay, Haz?"

Harry nodded weakly. "It's just…. I haven't…. I…."

Louis removed his hand from Harry's boxers and placed it gently on Harry's cheek. "It's okay, Harry. Tell me."

Harry raised himself up and tried again. "I've never…. You know…." The look on his face begged Louis to get what he was attempting to say.

"It's okay," Louis assured him. "I've experimented with a few girls and a few boys, but never anything serious. Nothing even close to serious."

"Not until me?" Harry questioned him, surprised.

Louis smiled. "Not until you."

Harry bit his bottom lip. "Okay."

"Are you okay with this, then?" Louis checked. "We don't have to. We can just make out. I'm totally cool with that."

Harry shook his head now. "No. I'm okay with this." To demonstrate his resolve, he reached out to find Louis' hips. Once he'd located them, he ran his fingers around the front of Louis' jeans and unbuttoned and unzipped them before boldly mimicking Louis' earlier actions and slipping his hand inside Louis' boxers. Louis sucked in a breath when Harry's hand made contact with his aching cock.

When Harry bucked up a little, Louis returned his hand to where it had been prior to their short conversation, Harry's erection had flagged a little with his case of nerves, but soon hardened again at Louis' caress.

At about the same time as Louis wrapped his hand all the way around Harry's member, Harry did the same to Louis'. Louis started out with slow strokes, and Harry met his pace. Harry seemed to be having trouble catching his breath, and Louis could totally relate. Harry took his breath away, too.

The slow strokes soon became agonising, and Louis increased the speed at which he covered the length of Harry's cock, the pre-come leaking out making this easy. Harry continued to match him stroke for stroke, and it wasn't long before Louis told Harry, "I'm about to--"

"Me, too," Harry ground out, interrupting him.

The pleasure pooled in his groin, then exploded up and through his cock, and he came all over Harry's hand. A mere moment later, Harry arched up off the bed and came in Louis' hand, a small cry escaping his lips.

Louis toppled over, collapsing bonelessly at Harry's side.

"That was…amazing," Harry commented.

"I concur," Louis said, still trying to regulate his breathing once again.

After a few minutes, Harry started to wriggle around, and it quickly became clear that he was trying to remove his jeans and boxers. Louis laughed. "Yeah, that's a good idea." Two pairs of jeans and boxers soon joined the t-shirts on the floor.

Louis was aware that his hand was sticky with come, and figured Harry was, too. "I'm going to go get a flannel," he told Harry, making to climb over the younger boy and off the bed.

Harry stopped him with a hand to his chest. "Why bother? I'll be ready to go again in about five minutes. How about you?"

"That is an even better idea." Louis settled himself back down against Harry's side, already starting to regain his energy. He had a feeling he was going to need every bit of it he could muster.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The X-Factor_ Live Shows: Weeks 4  & 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely and totally appreciate all the feedback you guys continue to give me! Thanks so much. Enjoy the new chapter....

The attention the boys were getting wasn't always easy to get used to. Each week, more and more girls were showing up at the studio hoping for just a glimpse of one or more of the band. They clearly had a fanbase, as they had handily made it through each results show, living to perform another week.

Halloween week arrived, and Simon had helped them choose "Total Eclipse of the Heart" for their song, and he had agreed with them that it would be fun for them to wear some spooky make-up to amp up the atmosphere. Rehearsals for both their own song and for the week's group number went swimmingly. The band had managed to come up with lots of little cues to help Harry follow the choreography, and he was definitely feeling more confident moving around on stage. As an added bonus, Harry's confidence seemed to bolster Zayn's.

There was a lot of waiting around for all of the contestants, especially once they got to the days when they were allowed to block their performances, as only one act could take the stage at a time.

Sometimes when they had to wait, the boys liked to go out and sit in the house and watch the other contestants perform. They knew they had a lot to learn, and they knew they could do so by paying attention to what their competition was doing. Many of them had more experience than One Direction did, and the boys figured they might as well take advantage.

Other times, they stayed back in the green room, chatting with others who were also waiting or keeping up to date on what was happening on the internet. There was usually food available in the room, too, and that was to be taken advantage of as well. Especially as far as Niall was concerned.

The studio had also set up a kind of play room for the contestants with a television hooked up to satellite, a DVD player, and a PlayStation. This was yet another fun place to play the waiting game.

All of those places were definitely very public, however, so Harry and Louis had spent a fair amount of time together finding places to be alone when they didn't need to be somewhere else, since opportunities for them to be by themselves were few and far between. It was Louis' job to scope out locations and Harry's to assess whether or not they were comfortable.

They discovered someplace new the day before Week Four's live show. It was an alcove under a set of stairs that led up to an area where the studio lights could be accessed. Louis had been watching this alcove and had concluded that these stairs were little used. The alcove was tall enough that they could both fit under very comfortably, and there was a lovely corner Louis backed Harry into while they played one of their favourite games: tonsil hockey.

Louis didn't know how long they'd been there in the corner of the alcove when they were interrupted by someone pointedly clearing their throat.

Louis instantly unlocked his lips from Harry's and backed away, turning around to see who had caught them in this unfortunately compromising position.

It was Liesel. She met Louis' gaze directly and asked, "So, how long has this been going on?"

When Harry reached his hand out, Louis took it, squeezing it to comfort him. He smiled weakly at Liesel and answered, "Since, um, August."

A look of surprise flashed over Liesel's face. "Really?"

Louis nodded, and looked over at Harry. The expression on Harry's face was a combination of sheepish (at being caught) and worried (at being caught). Louis squeezed his hand again.

"We will talk more about this later," Liesel promised ominously, "but it's your turn on the stage. Now."

Without a word, Harry found Louis' elbow and allowed Louis to lead him out of the alcove and to the stage where Liam, Niall, and Zayn stood waiting for them.

When the couple joined the other three, Liam whispered, "Is everything okay?"

Louis and Harry both nodded. Louis knew the others would find out what happened eventually, but there was no point in them finding out right before they had to perform.

The music started up behind them, then, and it was time to sing. Louis tried to concentrate on the words in the song, but in the back of his mind, he was terribly worried about what kind of conversation about his dalliance with Harry they would have to endure later.

The boys ran through the performance three separate times to make sure they had the blocking down and everything sounded the way they wanted. When they were satisfied, they vacated the stage for the next act to take their turn.

As they walked off the stage Liesel met them. "Louis, Harry, your presence is requested for a meeting."

Louis caught the sympathetic gazes sent his way by Liam, Zayn, and Niall before heaving a resigned sigh and guiding Harry in the direction Liesel was going.

They ended up in a conference room with Simon Cowell and one other producer they'd met a couple times, a man called Peter Jameson. Louis and Harry were ushered into chairs on one side of the table, the producers and Liesel sat on the other. It could not have been a more intimidating set-up if it tried.

Under the table, Louis grabbed hold of Harry's hand, squeezing tight.

"So, boys," Simon began, "Liesel tells me you two have developed a…special connection."

Harry and Louis both nodded. There was no point in trying to lie. They'd been caught outright.

"Now, you aren't breaking any rules, per se," he went on, "but once she told me what was going on, I thought we should meet so I could ask you to really think about what you're doing."

"What do you mean?" Louis asked.

"You boys are in Week Four of a competition I think you can win," Simon explained. "If you do, you'll go on to record an album, go on tour, the whole lot."

"That's what we want," Harry pointed out. "More than anything."

"I know," Simon told him. "But what if what you have going on now ends? What if this is just a passing fancy…a fling? What then? What happens to the band if things don't go well? Don't forget that there are three other boys' potential careers involved here."

Neither Louis nor Harry had anything to say regarding that. Louis had not honestly thought about this thing he and Harry had going on ending. He was pretty certain that Harry hadn't, either. In fact, he felt quite the opposite. He felt like he had found, at eighteen, something so many people searched years for. Something special. Something which would last.

When the boys didn't respond, Simon continued, "I think it would be wise for you both to really think about this and decide if it's really what you want. Is it worth the risk that things may end badly and cost you a very promising future?

"To that end," Simon kept going, "if you boys make it through this round, you'll make your Week Five song choice Monday morning. After that, Louis, I want you to go home for a day."

"But--" Louis instantly began to protest.

Interrupting him, Simon said firmly, "I really think you could both benefit from a short amount of time apart to seriously consider your options. If you then come back and decide this is what you want--this relationship--then we'll discuss the parameters."

In a small voice, Harry inquired, "Is that really necessary--to send him away?"

"I really believe it is," Simon responded, not unkindly.

Louis sensed that there was no point in continuing to argue. It sounded like Simon had his mind made up. He turned to Harry; he still held tightly to his hand. "It'll be okay, Haz. It's only a day."

Harry nodded bravely.

Louis stood and pulled Harry up after him. "Come on, let's go." Harry stood and took Louis' elbow.

"Thanks, boys," Simon said by way of dismissal.

Louis led Harry back to the green room, where Liam, Niall, and Zayn were awaiting their return.

Liam was on them straight away, eyebrows raised with curiosity. "So, what happened?"

Louis cleared his throat nervously. "We were busted making out under a staircase," he admitted sheepishly, while Harry stood at his side blushing furiously.

Niall wolf-whistled while Zayn began to laugh uproariously, literally doubled over. Liam soon joined them in laughter, unable, it seemed to control himself.

"Hey!" Louis schooled his face to his best wounded look, which had zero effect on Niall and Zayn, but did cause Liam to sober a little.

"I'm sorry," Liam said. "It is funny, though. We had a pool on how long it would take for you two to be caught."

Harry frowned at that. "Who won?"

Through his chortles, Niall managed to sputter out, "Me. I said before Week Five."

"Well, thank you, Zayn and Liam, for thinking better of us," Louis told them in a tone meant to shame Niall.

Zayn snorted. "We didn't. We thought it would happen much earlier."

"What?" Louis said, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"Well, it's not like you two are subtle," Liam pointed out.

Both Louis and Harry sighed. "We thought we were being careful," Harry told them.

"Apparently not quite careful enough," Zayn returned, still snickering.

"So, who did you have to meet with?" Liam wondered aloud.

"Simon, Peter, and Liesel," Louis returned. "I have to go home Monday and stay there a day to 'think.'" Louis added air quotes to his final word for good measure.

"Think about what?" Liam asked, defensive on Louis and Harry's behalf.

"Where we want our relationship to go, how it could affect the band, that kind of thing," Louis said, trying to play things down, but mostly failing. He was deeply unhappy at the idea of being made to leave.

Zayn and Niall stopped laughing at Louis' explanation.

"You guys know we're behind you, right?" Niall said, deadly serious now.

"One hundred percent," Liam added.

"We're not worried at all about the band," Zayn put in his two pence. "We know you'll take it seriously no matter what happens."

Harry nodded vehemently. "I would. You guys mean the world to me, and I would never, ever do anything to jeopardize what we've got going on."

"Me, neither," Louis promised.

"So, you really have to go?" Niall questioned, gazing sadly at Louis.

Louis nodded. "I don't think I have a choice."

"Well, we'll miss you," Liam said matter-of-factly. "But we'll hold down the fort while you're gone, and then when you get back, it's business as usual, yeah?"

"Yeah," Louis agreed with a small smile.

"Group hug!" Niall shouted, throwing his arms around Harry and Zayn.

Louis got in the circle with Harry on one side, Liam on the other. Liam slung his arm over Zayn, completing the circle. They pulled each other in tight, secure in the knowledge that they had each other's backs. No matter what.

* * *

The weekend was a blur. The live show went perfectly well, and they again made it through the results show with ease. They were so busy practising, performing, and being interviewed that Louis barely had time to think about what was going to happen as soon as they'd picked their Week Five song.

However, when he woke up bright and early Monday morning, he was painfully aware that he was being sent away in just a few short hours. He still didn't think it was fair, but he was pretty sure there was no way he was getting out of it.

As he continued to do most mornings, Louis woke up before Harry did. He took a long moment to memorise the way Harry felt in his arms, solid and warm. Harry's hair smelled vaguely of his shampoo and the sweat from the pressure of the night before. His breathing was low and even, and tiny snores escaped his mouth on every exhale.

Louis pressed kisses to the back of Harry's head, then worked his way down to the nape of Harry's neck. It was at this point that Harry stirred, scrunching his neck up at Louis' touch, making Louis smile.

"Good morning," Louis whispered.

"Good morning," Harry whispered back.

Louis persisted, then, in trying to kiss Harry's neck.

"Stop," Harry requested, though without a whole lot of conviction. His giggle, in fact, told Louis that Harry didn't mind the kisses at all.

After a moment, Harry wriggled around until he was facing Louis, and they shared a gentle kiss.

Harry sighed. "Do you really have to go today?"

"It's only for a day," Louis reminded him. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. But you can text me and let me know what you guys are getting up to without me. Then I'll be all up to date when I get back tomorrow."

Harry nodded. "Okay. I can do that."

Louis fit in another kiss before asking, "Washroom first or second?"

"Second. 'm too warm to get up just yet."

"Okay." He snuck in one more kiss, this time to Harry's forehead, then he crawled out of bed and took his turn in the washroom.

By the time he got back, Niall, Zayn, and Liam were all in various states of rising. "Better get out of that warm bed and into the washroom before one of these clowns beats you to it, Haz," he advised.

Harry chuckled and flung the covers back. He wasted no time grabbing the things he needed for the washroom and heading there before someone else could take his turn.

As soon as he heard the washroom door close behind Harry, Louis said, "Guys. You'll make sure he's okay, yeah?"

"He's going to be fine, Lou," Liam assured him.

"Somehow he muddled through before he met you," Niall pointed out jokingly. "I have confidence he can make it a day."

Louis threw a pillow across the room at Niall. "I'm serious."

"I am, too. He'll be fine," Niall said somewhat more soberly. "But of course we'll help him out if he needs it. He's our boy, too."

"Well, not the way he's Louis' boy," Zayn was quick to correct. "But Niall's right otherwise. We'll help him. Don't be a worrywart."

"Thanks, guys," Louis told them. He sighed. "I guess I need to pack a bag with some clothes for home."

"Don't you have clothes at home?" Niall questioned him.

Louis shook his head at his own stupidity. "Good point. Though I do need to pack my toiletries."

"When do you have to leave?" Liam inquired.

"Simon said as soon as we pick our song," Louis relayed as he pulled his duffle out from where he'd stuffed it under his bed what seemed an age ago.

"You don't get to stay to get the group song assignment?" Niall was incredulous. "That's bollocks."

Louis shrugged as he set the duffle on his bed and put his toilet kit inside. "We were bad boys, so I need to start thinking about it as soon as possible, I guess."

"Do you suppose he'd be sending you away if Harry was a girl?" Zayn asked.

Louis hadn't thought about it that way. He shrugged again. "I don't know. I don't think this is a gay thing. I think this is a you-might-screw-up-the-band thing. I think if Harry and I weren't in the band together, this wouldn't be an issue."

"That better be the case," Niall said defensively. "Or he'll have the three of us to contend with, right, lads?"

"Absolutely," Liam replied at the same time as Zayn said, "Right."

Niall, Zayn, and Liam began collecting the things they needed for the washroom, rushing, as always, to be the first one ready when the washroom became free.

When Harry appeared at the room's threshold, Niall was the first to haul his things into his arms. "Coming through, Haz!" he called, and Harry knew enough to move quickly aside to allow Niall past.

"Safe to go across?" Harry questioned the room.

This had become a new routine--one that avoided incidents like the one their second day in the house. Louis did a quick floor check to make sure no one had left anything scattered around. "All clear," he reported.

Thus assured, Harry confidently made his way back to his bed to finish getting ready for the day.

When they were all dressed and had wolfed down some breakfast, they were driven to the studio to pick out their Week Five song.

Simon usually came by to chime in at some point in the process of choosing the song they were going to sing, but it wasn't usual for him to be there right at the start. Yet, on this particular Monday, there he was, waiting for them.

"Hi boys," he greeted them as they took seats in a circle, as they had gotten in the habit of doing to choose songs.

"Morning, Simon," they chorused.

"So, let's get right to it," Simon said, clapping his hands in anticipation. "This week's theme is American Anthems."

Louis got it at that moment. He was convinced Simon was there to shepherd them through the choosing process as quickly as he could so he could ship Louis home as quickly as he could. He mentally began preparing himself for having to leave.

"I have a list of songs for you guys to look at." Simon handed out papers to each of the five boys. Harry's was done in Braille. Ever since Louis' conversation with Savan, the staff had been really good about providing Braille copies of everything for Harry. Harry's face never failed to give away how much that meant to him. This morning was no exception.

"I have some ideas for you," Simon told them, "but I want you to look over the list first and let me know if anything jumps out at you."

The band took a couple minutes to peruse the list. When all of them had had a chance to read and think about their choices, they threw out the titles which jumped out at them. None of the songs they named worked for everyone.

Finally, when they had exhausted their own ideas, Simon jumped in with, "I think you guys should do 'Kids in America.' Kim Wilde."

The boys all paused for thought. Louis imagined them singing the song on stage, and the idea worked in his head.

Liam and Zayn were the first to nod. Then Niall said, "Yeah, cool choice. We can even wear red, white, and blue, really America it up."

"Louis? Harry?" Simon asked. "What do you think?" He knew from experience that the band wouldn't sing anything that wasn't unanimously chosen.

"Sounds good," Harry replied. "Would be a fun song to do."

"I agree," Louis issued the final vote. "I think it's a good song."

"Excellent!" Simon enthused, clearly pleased. "Why don't we run through it a couple times?"

First, they listened to Kim's version to remind themselves of how the song went. Then they practised it themselves with Savan a few times, working out which bits of the song to leave in, which to leave out, and starting to figure out who would sing which part.

By lunchtime, they'd rehearsed it enough that Simon declared they were off to a great start, and they could break to eat. Or, in Louis' case, leave.

"Is this really necessary?" Louis checked, just in case Simon could be convinced to have second thoughts.

Simon nodded. "It really is. A car is waiting outside for you. It will drive you up to Doncaster. Here are the lyrics to 'So What,' the group number. You can study them in the car." He handed over a sheet of paper. "Have a good trip. Think hard."

Louis sighed and folded the paper to slip into his back pocket.

"I'll give you a minute to say your goodbyes, then I'll show you to the car," Simon told him before he and Savan left the room to the band.

Liam patted Louis' bicep. "Take care, old man. We'll see you tomorrow." He gave Louis a warm hug, whispering in his ear, "Harry will be fine. Try to relax."

Zayn and Niall took their turns hugging Louis. "Enjoy some home cooking," Niall suggested. "I am completely jealous of you for that."

Louis laughed. "Maybe I can sneak you back some."

Niall pointed at him and raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "Don’t make promises you don't intend to keep."

Louis just laughed some more.

"We'll give you and Harry a little privacy," Zayn offered before he led the way out of the room.

Once he and Louis were alone, Harry reached out his hands for Louis', and Louis immediately grabbed hold, using the leverage to pull Harry in for a kiss.

When they parted for air, Harry said, "I'm going to miss you."

"Not as much as I'll miss you," Louis countered.

"I don't want you to worry," Harry went on.

Perhaps a bit too quickly, Louis told him, "I'm not worried."

Harry snorted. "I'll be fine. The lads have already assured me they'll help me if I need it."

"They have?" Louis was surprised they'd had the time to do that.

"They have."

"Well, okay, then. I'll try not to worry. Just…."

"Just what?" Harry urged him to finish his thought.

"Don't replace me," Louis whispered.

Harry let go of Louis' hands so he could run his own up Louis' arms to find his way to Louis' face. He cupped Louis' cheeks gently. "I could never," he promised fiercely.

"I guess I should go before Simon comes back in here and drags me to the car," Louis said regretfully.

Harry nodded. "Okay." After pulling Louis to him for one more kiss, he trailed his hand down again to seek out Louis' elbow.

Louis grabbed the duffle he'd dropped just inside the practise room door and then led Harry out.

Simon was waiting with Liam, Zayn, and Niall, and Louis transferred Harry's hand to Liam's elbow before addressing Simon. "I guess I'm ready."

"Good lad. Let's go."

Louis issued one more goodbye to his bandmates before following Simon out front to the waiting car.

As Louis tossed his duffle into the back seat, Simon said, "Have a safe trip. See you tomorrow."

Louis nodded and climbed in the car, settling back into the leather with resignation. It was going to be a long, long trip.

* * *

Louis spent the entire drive to Doncaster texting the other boys and playing Angry Birds. By the time they pulled into his mother's drive, it was mid-afternoon--coming on tea time--and he hurried out of the car in anticipation of a cup of his mother's Yorkshire tea.

Jay greeted him at the door with a huge hug. "You look so exhausted!" she exclaimed. "Was it that long a drive, Boo?"

Louis shrugged. "Long week."

"You've beaten the girls home, so why don't we huddle up in the kitchen with a cup of tea and chat?"

"Sounds heavenly."

Louis' mum had been coming up every weekend for the live and results shows--heading back home to the girls after the results show was done--but Louis never got to spend any real quality time with her then. The last time he had really gotten to talk to her at any length was before he had moved down to the _X-Factor_ house.

He ran upstairs to drop his bag in his room, then joined up with his mother in the kitchen, where she was putting on a kettle.

Louis slid into one of the seats at their kitchen table while his mother busied herself with putting biscuits onto a plate. She set the plate in front of Louis and sat down across from him.

"So, how are you, sweetheart?" was what she opened with.

"Good," he answered. "Tired. It's a lot of work."

"I'm so proud of you. You and all the boys. You're doing so well."

Louis smiled. "Thanks."

The kettle whistled at that moment, and Jay got up to collect the teapot and cups, carrying them back over and pouring first for Louis, then for herself.

They sipped in silence for a few moments. Louis savoured the strong taste of his mother's perfectly brewed Yorkshire tea. He had a box back at the _X-Factor_ house, and he'd made some adequate cups, but none could match his mum's.

After they'd each drained half their cups, Jay asked the question Louis had known he'd be faced with the moment Simon had told Louis to take a trip home. "So, not that I am not thrilled to see you, but why are you here when you should be down in London practising for next weekend?"

Louis sucked in a deep breath and, after that, another sip of tea. He cleared his throat nervously and, finally, admitted, "Harry and I were caught kissing backstage."

Jay stifled a smile as she nodded soberly. "You were?"

"We were. And Simon suggested I come home to think."

"And what are you supposed to think about?"

"How my relationship with Harry might affect the band," Louis told her softly.

Jay let her smile show this time. "Well, I know you told me over the summer that you thought you might be in love with Harry. It's serious now, then?"

Louis nodded shyly. "It is. We are."

Jay's smile grew wider. "I'm very happy for you, honey."

Louis smiled back at her. "He's amazing, Mum. He really is. I've never felt like this about anyone before. I mean, I thought I was in love with Hannah, but it wasn't anything like this. Not even close."

"So, what did Simon say at your meeting?" Jay wanted to know.

"That Harry and I needed to think about how it would affect the band if our relationship doesn't work out." Louis sighed, still a little overwhelmed by the unfairness of being at home and not back with his boys.

Jay kept her tone gentle when she said, "That's worth thinking about."

Louis regarded his mother with surprise. He'd thought she would be on his side--agree that this was ridiculous.

Before he could even begin to protest, Jay went on. "Honey, you know I love Harry. He really is an amazing young man, especially given the challenges he's had to overcome. I can understand why you've taken such a shine to him.

"But you're both so young. You're eighteen, and he's only sixteen. It's pretty unusual to find something…long-lasting when you're that age. It's not unrealistic to think that it might not last quite as long as you think it will." Jay smiled at him in an attempt to soften her words.

"I love him, Mum," Louis said passionately. "I really, truly do. I can't imagine finding anyone I could love more."

Jay paused for a moment of thought, then said, "Can I ask you a question without you getting all defensive on me?"

Louis bit his bottom lip and nodded. "Okay."

"Have you really thought about what this relationship will be like down the line?"

"What do you mean?" Louis was genuinely confused.

Jay sighed. "Harry isn't going to miraculously be able to see at some point. He's always going to be blind. For as long as you're together, he's always going to need your help with some things."

"I don't mind helping him." Louis became defensive despite what he'd promised his mother just moments ago.

"I know," Jay assured him. "I know you don't. But it's new. You've been doing it for less than six months. What's it going to be like in six more months? In a year? Two?"

"I won't mind then, either," Louis insisted. "It's not his fault that he can't see. And it isn't fair to assume that I'll get bored or resentful of helping him."

Jay smiled at his words and poured more tea into both of their cups. "That is one of my favourite things about you. Your loyalty. Harry is very lucky to have you."

Louis shook his head. "No. I'm lucky to have him. I may help him to get around, read things, understand things that are visual, but he helps me back. He's so incredibly supportive and kind. I don't know how I would be getting through this thing week after week without him."

"Okay, then. You sound pretty sure." She sipped at her tea. "So what are going you going to tell Simon?"

Louis sipped at his own tea, thinking her question through. "I'm not breaking up with Harry. Not for them."

"Okay. What about the concerns about the band?"

"Harry and I need to have an agreement that if something does happen, it won't affect the band. Zayn, Niall, and Liam have worked just as hard as Harry and I. They don't deserve for us to screw it up."

Jay reached up to wipe a tear from her eye.

Louis rolled his own eyes. "Mum!"

She reached a hand out to cover his. "I'm just so proud of you. You're all grown up."

Louis smiled. "Thanks."

"So," Jay went on, "how long are you home for?"

"The car will be back for me tomorrow morning."

"Well, we will have to enjoy you while we have you."

At that moment, the sound of the front door being thrown open filled the house, soon followed by the sound of four very excited girls racing toward the kitchen yelling Louis' name at the top of their lungs.

"I may have mentioned to them that you were coming," Jay said by way of apology before the girls spilled into the kitchen and threw their arms around their big brother.

The rest of the day and evening were spent with Louis' sisters vying for Louis' attention. He was happy to give them as much as he could. He played Barbies with the twins, Phoebe and Daisy, and a couple board games with the older girls, Lottie and Fizzy, before they all settled down with an after-dinner movie of the girls' choosing. When it was their bedtime, Louis tucked them in with stories and kisses, though Lottie only wanted the kisses.

He and his mum then curled up on the couch with more cups of tea.

"You know, Boo, I know a lot about Harry, both from you and from Anne, but I don't know a lot about your other bandmates," Jay commented.

Louis sailed right over her request to make his own, "What did Anne tell you about Harry?"

Jay smirked. "You go first, then I'll go."

Louis sighed, but capitulated. "They're all really cool. Zayn is quiet. He kind of waits to say things, but when he does, he can be so thoughtful. Smart, you know?"

Jay nodded.

"He's a great artist, too. He carries this sketchbook around everywhere. He's constantly doodling, though his doodles are way better than anything I can draw."

"That's awesome."

"Niall is hilarious. So funny. And he eats like he might never see food again."

Jay chuckled. "Sounds like a typical teenage boy."

Louis shook his head. "No. He's like a hobbit. First breakfast, second breakfast, midmorning snack. He'd eat all day if he was allowed."

"Sounds like _The X-Factor_ is going to have to expand its food budget this series."

"He's also super with a guitar. He plays really well, and he knows so many songs. Sometimes we practise just the five of us with Niall on guitar."

"Cool," Jay commented with a smile, taking a drink of her tea. "And Liam?"

"He's so serious. I really need to work on that," Louis told her.

"You'd be good at that--loosening him up."

"But he keeps us organised and on task; he pushes all of us to do our very best," Louis went on to say. "And his voice, Mum. You've heard it. It's amazing!"

To date, Liam had sung the majority of the solos during their band's performances, so Jay was certainly familiar. "It really is. But you boys all have lovely voices. Simon and Nicole were very smart putting you all together. Your voices mesh beautifully."

Louis blushed. "Thanks."

"And it's working, all five of you sharing a room?" Jay wondered aloud.

"Yeah, it is," Louis said happily. "We all get along really well. We haven't had many arguments. It is hard keeping the room clean with four of us not used to it, but it's for Harry, so…."

"And there haven't been any more accidents since Harry hit his head on the bedpost?" Jay confirmed.

Louis shook his head. "Nope. Nothing major, anyhow. Sometimes someone in the house forgets to push in a chair or close a door, and he trips or bumps into something, but no more A&E visits."

"That's good. I know Anne was worried about him living at the house with so many other people who weren't used to living with someone blind," Jay revealed.

"Everyone's been pretty good about it," Louis said. "So, I told you about Zayn, Niall, and Liam. It's your turn to tell me what else Anne told you."

"Okay. It's a lot of Mum Stuff," she warned him, and he pictured the last two words with capital letters.

Louis shrugged and sipped at his cooling, almost-forgotten tea. "That's okay. Go ahead. Start."

"Pushy!" She playfully slapped his upper arm. "Okay. You know he was born blind?"

Louis nodded. "He told me. I can't even imagine not ever being able to see, but he said it's not so bad because he doesn't know what he's missing."

"Anne and Harry's father didn't find out right away about Harry. A baby's eyes don't really focus for the first few months. But by the time he was three months old, they knew something was wrong. He wasn't tracking objects with his eyes, and he didn't react to sudden light. The doctors told Anne and Des that Harry was almost completely blind."

"It must have been really hard for them."

"It was. But that's not the part Anne likes to talk about. At least she didn't with me," Jay noted.

"No?"

Jay shook her head. "She just remembers how determined he was, right from the beginning."

Louis smiled.

"Nothing came easy for Harry. Except, apparently, for being charming." Jay grinned and raised her eyebrows knowingly.

"That he is. I don't know anyone at _X-Factor_ who hasn't fallen for him." Harry had what seemed an innate ability to draw people in and make them like him. He'd done that to Liam without even trying back during their dance day at boot camp.

"She said he was always really stubborn about wanting to do for himself, and it was hard for him to accept that there were things he couldn't do," Jay said.

"It must have been hard for her, too," Louis commented.

"I think it was. A mother wants to do everything for their child, and I can only imagine how much stronger that urge would be if that child couldn't see." Jay's smile turned sad. "At the same time, you need to step back and let them learn and make mistakes."

"Well, she must have done something right," Louis said. "He handles himself so well."

"She's really grateful he met you," Jay went on, her sad smile becoming a much happier one.

Louis felt his cheeks fill with colour at the compliment.

"He really wanted to try out for _X-Factor_ , and it made her really nervous," Jay explained. "She was worried that if he didn't make it, he'd be devastated, and she wasn't sure how the show would treat someone who was blind. Then he met you. I know she felt so much better about everything once you were there to help him and be his friend."

Louis was quiet for a moment, then he asked, "You talk with her, right?"

Jay nodded. "All the time. She's great. Why do you ask?"

Louis paused for another moment. "Harry said he thought she was cool with us being together. Is she really?"

Jay blew out some air, then inhaled sharply. "I'm not sure she's privileged to the same information you gave me today--how serious you guys are. But I know she's happy he's happy."

"He should tell her, shouldn't he?"

Jay shrugged. "Probably."

"I'll tell him."

"He's a great find, baby," Jay said next, putting down her cup of tea. "I know I told you this before, but it's still true. I am so proud of you. A lot of boys your age would have been hesitant to befriend someone like Harry. But you did that without even thinking about how he was different. You just saw him. That's amazing. You're amazing."

"Thanks, Mum." He put down his own cup and reached over to her for a hug.

"Now, you need to take advantage of a night in a bedroom you have all to yourself," Jay pointed out after she let him go. "Go get some rest, and in the morning I'll make a big breakfast for you and the girls before you have to go back."

Louis nodded. "Okay." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "Night, Mum. I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, get! I need a few child-free moments before I pass out." She grinned as she shooed him away.

Louis retreated upstairs and jumped first in the shower, then into the small bed in his bedroom. He hadn't texted Harry in a while, so he sent a check-in text, but when Harry didn't reply, he suspected Harry was already asleep. _X-Factor_ days were long and tiring.

Despite his mother's suggestion to enjoy his silent, all-to-himself bedroom, Louis wasn't sure how he was going to get to sleep himself. He'd grown used to falling asleep with Harry in his arms. His bed felt empty. He took one of the two pillows at the top of his bed and held it in his arms. It wasn't quite what he was used to, but it would have to do until he got back to London. He began counting down the hours and minutes to that occasion until he passed out for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Louis felt like he was back in school. He sat at the table in his pyjamas surrounded by his little sisters while his mother made eggs and sausage for all of them. The girls wanted to tell Louis all about what they were going to do in school that day, each of them trying to talk louder than the others to be heard. All of it made Louis smile.

He had time to take the girls to school, which they loved, showering him with kisses and hugs before going in to start another day of learning.

By the time he got back to the house, Jay was able to report that they'd called to say the car back to London would be there for him in about an hour.

He packed up his duffle, then passed the rest of the time with his mother in the kitchen as she filled him in on all the latest family gossip. His grandparents were so excited he was on television and wanted Jay to pass their good luck wishes to him. As much as he wanted to get back to London and Harry, Louis did regret that he did not have time to visit some of his other relatives this trip up. If they continued to do well each weekend, it would be Christmas before he got to see any of them again.

When the car finally arrived, Jay walked him out to it. He gave her a fierce hug and said, "Thanks, Mum. For everything."

When she released him, she said, "Just tell Simon what you told me, and I think everything will work out fine."

"I will."

"And keep the PDAs to a minimum from now on," Jay added with a wink.

Louis chuckled. "Okay."

She kissed his cheek, then bundled him into the car.

The ride back was interminable. Harry was clearly already at the studio rehearsing, as his replies to Louis were far and few between, though it was clear from the replies Harry did send that he was missing Louis almost as much as Louis missed him.

He tried to waste some of his travel time by fooling with some of the apps on his phone, but more often than not, he found himself staring out the window at the passing countryside, willing the view to become the city streets of London.

He did wonder, as he watched the scenery go by, how boring any kind of trip must be for his boyfriend, who wasn't able to look out the window during a drive. Knowing Harry, though, he probably had a variety of playlists on his phone and on his Nano to help him pass the time.

After what felt an age, they finally entered London's city limits, and the car deposited him at the _X-Factor_ studio just after noon. Louis grabbed his bag, thanked the driver, and practically ran through the side entrance the car had pulled up to.

He moved through the studio at as sedate a pace as his excitement would allow for. When he arrived at the practise room, though, he found it empty. He sighed with frustration. The last text Harry had sent had definitely been when they were still working on their song with Savan. They must have taken their break for lunch since then, and Harry just forgot to send him a text alert. Turning on his heel, he made his way to the small dining area of the studio, assuming his bandmates would be there.

The dining hall was full, but Louis easily spotted his friends in the corner table just to the left of the entrance that they had claimed for their own. Everyone understood that for Harry's sake, it made sense to just let One Direction have that table, so Harry wouldn't have a difficult time finding them.

Niall spotted Louis first and called his name freakishly loudly across the hall. Louis watched as Harry's head snapped up at Niall's greeting, a small smile immediately appearing on Harry's face.

Louis hurried to the table, his face split in a huge grin. He knew it had only been a day, but he'd missed these guys so much. "Hi, lads!" he said to the table, accepting Niall's hug. Next, though, he put his hand on Harry's shoulder, and that was all it took for Harry to orient himself, rise, and throw his arms around Louis.

"I missed you so much," he whispered in Louis' ear, sending shivers down Louis' spine.

"I missed you, too," he whispered back.

Harry held on an extra-long moment before he let Louis go. For a second, he held up his hand like he was going to touch Louis again, but then he dropped his hand to his side. 

Louis had barely a moment to ponder what that was about when Liam spoke up. "Good to have you back, Lou. Did you eat lunch?"

Louis shook his head. "Nope. Haven't eaten since breakfast. Is there time?" He glanced down at his watch reflexively, but then realised that was pointless, since he had no idea when lunch had started.

"Plenty," Liam answered. "We only got here a few minutes ago."

Louis did notice, then, that all of the plates at the table were mostly full, indicating they hadn't been eating long. "Excellent! I'll go get something. Be right back."

When he returned to the table with his food, he sat in the empty seat between Harry and Niall, congenially bumping his upper elbow with Harry's so Harry would know where he was. After taking a few bites of his sandwich, Louis asked, "So, how's 'Kids in America' coming along?"

"Good," Zayn told him.

"It'll sound better now you're back," Niall added loyally.

Louis smiled. "I'm looking forward to getting back to work. What's on for this afternoon?"

"Group rehearsal, some interviews. Same old, same old," Liam reported.

"Sounds good." Louis couldn't, in fact, think of anything better.

"So, good trip home, mate?" Zayn inquired as he sipped at his soda.

Louis nodded. "Yeah, it was. I got to talk to my mum a lot and play with my sisters. It was good. But I did miss you guys a lot. It was so strange to sleep in a room that was so quiet." He bumped his upper arm against Harry's again. "I even missed your snoring, Haz."

Harry offered a small smile at that, though he seemed to be mostly focused on his lunch, intently pulling the crust off the sides of his sandwich.

When they were all more or less done--Harry hadn't eaten quite as much as the rest of them, claiming he just wasn't hungry--they headed into the studio for group rehearsal. It felt really good to have Harry's hand gripping his elbow again. He couldn't believe his mother could even suggest he'd ever tire of helping Harry out.

Apparently, at the group rehearsal he'd missed the day before, they'd begun blocking the performance. One Direction didn't come on until a little bit into the performance, and the choreographer had decided to put Harry right in the middle, Liam to his right to guide him, and Zayn to his left. Once they arrived at their spot on the stage, Louis very reluctantly let Harry go, passing him over to Liam.

The rehearsal didn't last all that long, then the boys were shuffled off to do a group interview. This was when Louis began to get truly worried.

Once the interviewers got over their constant need to harp about Harry's blindness and started asking him the same kinds of questions they asked the other four members of the band, Harry had proven himself to be downright chatty during interviews. That was not, however, the case on this particular afternoon.

Harry answered direct questions--he wasn't rude--but he did so with as few words as he could get away with, letting the other boys shoulder the bulk of the interview. That was absolutely not like him.

When they were done with the interview, they were done for the day. Their usual driver took them back to the house.

Upon entering the house, Niall made a beeline for the kitchen and Zayn for the Wii, apparently in the middle of some kind of tournament with Matt. Louis wanted to talk to Liam alone and gestured to him to indicate this desire. Liam nodded and mouthed "sure," then pointed at Harry and raised his eyebrows quizzically.

Harry was waiting patiently at Louis' side to see what Louis wanted to do. Louis thought fast. "Hey, Haz, how about you and I steal a little alone time in our room while the others are down here?"

Harry smiled softly and nodded. "Okay." Now they were in the house, he didn't need Louis' help, and he led the way up the stairs.

When they got to the door, Louis slapped his own forehead. "I left my bag downstairs. I'll be right back up, all right?"

Harry nodded as he turned the handle to let himself in their room.

Louis raced back down the stairs and back into the front room. He and Liam slipped into the kitchen, then, and sat at the table to talk. Niall was there, too, feasting on some cold chicken he'd found in the fridge, but Louis didn't mind his presence. Maybe Niall would have information if Liam didn't.

Louis didn't waste any time, since he knew if he took too long, Harry would come looking for him. "So, what's up with Harry? He seems really quiet. Did something happen while I was gone?"

Liam shrugged. "I have no idea. He seemed fine after you left, his normal self, you know. Then we had group rehearsal and a photo shoot. Those seemed to go okay, but after that, he just got really quiet. When we got back here, he went straight upstairs and stayed there."

"He didn't even have dinner," Niall put in, clearly horrified by the mere idea of doing such a thing.

"And nothing happened at the studio?" Louis checked.

Liam shook his head. "Not that I know of. Niall?"

"I didn't notice anything," Niall answered through a mouthful of chicken.

"Then this morning?"

"Still really quiet, but he did eat a little at breakfast when I pressed him to," Liam said.

"I did notice he didn't eat much lunch." Louis sighed. "He just said he wasn't hungry, but now it sounds like that wasn't it. You don't think he's sick, do you?"

"I don't think so." Liam shook his head. "It was like a switch. One moment he was fine, the next he wasn't."

"Maybe now you're back he'll tell you what's going on," Niall said.

"I hope so," Louis fervently hoped. "I'm going back up. Give us the room for a bit, yeah?"

"Sure," his two friends agreed simultaneously.

Louis headed out of the kitchen, then doubled back to the fridge for two sodas, just in case he needed an excuse for what took him so long. He grabbed his duffle bag, too, before making his way up to their room. He hauled in a deep breath, juggled the sodas in one hand, and opened the door.

He could tell right away that Harry had not heard him come in. He'd taken off his boots and was sitting on the floor--eyes closed--his back against the bed, listening to something on the Nano in his hand. The scene gave Louis a minute to just look at him.

There was definitely something wrong. Harry's face was…pinched was the only way Louis could think of to describe it. He looked wildly unhappy in a way Louis hadn't seen since the day they didn't make it through boot camp as individuals. Louis really needed to figure out what it was that had happened.

He dropped his bag on his bed, toed off his shoes--kicking them under his bed--and went to sit next to Harry on the floor, bumping his knee against Harry's to let him know he was there.

Harry started, his eyes flying open. He schooled his features to fake happiness as he pulled the earbuds from his ears. "Hey, Lou."

"I brought sodas. Want one?"

Harry shrugged.

Louis touched the can to Harry's left hand. "You can put it to the side if you don't want it now."

"Thanks." Harry took it and set it in the corner created by the top left bedpost and the wall. They had discovered this was a pretty safe place for Harry to put drinks when they were sitting on the floor in their room.

"What were you listening to?" Louis inquired, wanting to work his way up to talking about whatever the problem was.

Harry shrugged again. "Just a playlist I made a little while ago. Some older stuff my dad really likes."

"Thinking about home?"

Harry offered yet another shrug. "I guess."

"It was nice being home and getting to spend time with my mum and my sisters," Louis said, mostly making idle conversation. "But I really missed all you guys. Especially you." He bumped shoulders with Harry, hoping he could coax a little smile out of him, but nothing. Not even a hint of a dimple.

"Did you miss me?" Louis prompted next.

Harry nodded.

"How was practise yesterday and this morning?" Louis soldiered on, still trying to gauge the best way to approach things now he was just about one hundred percent sure there was something seriously wrong. Harry was never this quiet or morose, especially not when it was just the two of them.

Harry returned to the shrug-as-a-response, although he did add a not exceptionally descriptive, "Okay, I guess."

Louis hauled in a deep breath. He couldn't continue this stilted small talk any longer. He had to know what was going on. In a soft voice, he asked, "Harry, I can tell something's wrong. Can you tell me what it is?"

Harry's bottom lip quivered before he violently shook his head. Without any warning, then, he dropped his Nano on the floor and crawled up on the bed, his foot hitting Louis' shoulder as he went. He curled up into as small a ball as he could, his face toward the wall.

Louis didn't even think. He clambered up on the bed after Harry and pulled him into his arms.

The minute Louis touched him, Harry started to cry. Huge, wracking sobs shook Harry's body, and Louis just held on tight, pressing gentle kisses onto the back of Harry's head. "It's okay," Louis whispered. "You're okay. I'm here. I've got you."

The crying jag lasted long enough that Louis began imagining how many pieces he was going to tear the person who did this to Harry into. The number grew exponentially bigger with each shake of Harry's body.

Finally, thankfully, the sobs subsided, though every one of Harry's breaths came on a hitch and his body continued to shake in Louis' embrace. Louis just kept whispering what he hoped were soothing phrases into Harry's ear.

When Harry's breathing at last evened out, Louis helped him to sit up until they were cross-legged across from each other, their knees touching, Harry's hands in Louis'.

Harry's head was lowered, eyes hooded, clearly just very sad, and it broke Louis' heart.

Louis swallowed his own pain to say, "Harry, love, you know you can tell me anything, right? There is absolutely nothing you could say that would change how much I love you."

Harry nodded. Softly, he assured Louis, "I know."

"Can you tell me what happened, then?" Louis pleaded with him. "I can't promise I can fix whatever it is, but I can promise that I'm here for you, no matter what."

Harry pulled in a deep breath, then another. After a moment of silence, he raised his chin just a little bit and began, "Yesterday afternoon we started practising the blocking for the group number after we'd practised singing it a few times. When we were done, we all went backstage. Niall and Zayn went off to find Matt for something, and I was with Liam. Liam said he needed to use the toilet, so I waited for him on those stairs. You know, the ones we were busted under?" 

"I know the ones."

"I figured I'd be out of the way there, since I knew they were moving all kinds of things on and off the stage to be ready for dress on Friday."

Louis wasn't entirely thrilled that Harry was referring to himself as needing to be "out of the way," but he simply said, "Okay."

Harry swallowed anxiously before he went on. "Two of the stagehands stopped somewhere near the stairs to, I guess, take a break. I know they didn't see me."

"How do you know?"

"Because they were talking about me," Harry explained softly.

Louis closed his eyes and sighed. He guessed this was it--the thing that had unhinged his boyfriend. "What did you hear them say?" Louis asked gently.

Harry didn't answer right away, and Louis was about to try to push him a little bit when Harry cleared his throat before speaking again. "They said that the only reason we were making it through the live shows was because we were getting the sympathy vote on account of me being blind, but that that wouldn't last much longer. Then they said that when we do get voted off, you all are going to wish you hadn't agreed to be in a band with me. They said if you guys want to get anywhere when _X-Factor_ is over, you'd be smart to dump me."

Louis was seething with rage by this time. He worked hard to rein it in to inquire as calmly as he could, "Was that all they said?"

Harry shook his head, very obviously fighting a fresh onslaught of tears.

Louis sighed. He couldn't believe there was more. Like what Harry had relayed wasn't bad enough. "What else did they say?"

Harry choked back a sob. "They said they'd heard that you and I were together, and they couldn't even imagine what you were thinking. They said that they were sure you would get bored with me soon enough. After all, how exciting could it be to be with someone who can't see?"

Louis had moved away from concerned, past angry, and straight on to homicidal. After pulling in an extremely deep breath, he wondered aloud, "Did you recognise their voices?"

"No." Harry often forgot that even though he couldn't read other people's faces, they could read his. And Harry's face said he was lying.

"I don't believe you." Harry was practically a savant when it came to recognising voices. He could meet someone once or twice and remember them by their voice from then on. Furthermore, he knew all the staff and crew, having made a point to have Louis help him introduce himself during those first couple weeks, figuring if he made everyone comfortable, there wouldn't be any awkwardness.

"It isn't important," Harry insisted.

"Harry," Louis spoke as firmly as he felt he could get away with given how unstable Harry was at that point in time, "I need you to tell me who it was. If you don't, I will go to each and every stagehand there is until I figure it out."

Harry sighed. With reluctance, he revealed, "It was two of the lighting guys, Noah and Charlie."

Louis stored the names away. "They're assholes. You know that, right? Total, complete assholes."

Harry shrugged. In a voice so tiny Louis barely heard him, he said, "But what if they're right?"

"They're not," Louis assured him. "Not even a little."

"You can't know that," Harry countered bitterly. "You don't know if we're getting through on a sympathy vote. That guy from _American Idol_ who was blind made it to 8th place, and so many of the articles I read made it sound like he would never have made it that far on his voice if he hadn't been blind."

Louis was struggling with so many emotions at this point he didn't know how to sort through them. They were not going to have to worry about whether they were getting through on a sympathy vote. They would be done when he was thrown in prison for committing murder. And he would make those stagehands suffer before he killed them.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly before squeezing Harry's hands tightly. "You're right. I have no way of knowing whether or not the votes we're getting are sympathy votes. What I do know is that Simon, Louis, Dannii, and Nicole tell us every week they think we're really good. There are hundreds of girls outside the studio every day just dying to see us. We've never been near the bottom of the voting. I think we're doing okay."

"But what if, say, we're voted off this weekend?" Harry persisted in this purely speculative line of reasoning. "Does it really make sense to try to make a go of this with me in the band? If we can't make it past Week Five, how on Earth are we going to make it outside of the show?"

Louis sighed. It was obvious that twenty-four plus hours of Harry thinking about what he'd heard had given rise to quite the head of steam. It was also obvious that he wasn't going to be able to convince Harry that he belonged right where he was all by himself. He was going to need reinforcements.

"Okay," he said. "I am going to go get Zayn, Niall, and Liam so we can have a band meeting."

"A band meeting?" Harry repeated, confused.

"Yes. You have no more than five minutes to pull yourself together before we're back, so do what you need to do to be ready," Louis ordered. "I'll be right back." He lifted Harry's hands to his lips and kissed them before letting them go.

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Louis didn't even wait. He determinedly left the room and headed downstairs to round up the rest of One Direction.

He found Liam sitting in front of the television watching a movie with Mary and Rebecca, and Zayn playing on the Wii with Matt. Niall was at the kitchen table, still eating while he chatted with Aiden and Cher. He entreated them all to meet him at the bottom of the stairs so he could explain what was going on.

"Apparently, yesterday when you left to go use the washroom, Liam, Harry overheard two dick stagehands talking about how they thought we were only getting through on sympathy votes and how if we want to really be successful when the show is over we should dump Harry." Relating to the other three boys what had been said reignited Louis' ire, and it apparently showed on his face, as both Zayn and Niall reached out to lay a soothing hand on one of Louis' forearms.

"Those assholes," Niall seethed.

Liam's face immediately took on a look of pure guilt. "I never should have left him."

Louis shook his head. "No, this is not your fault. It could just as easily been any one of us who left him alone."

Liam sighed. "So, what can we do?"

"Convince him he belongs in the band before he decides to be a martyr and quit," Louis told him.

"Okay." Niall hopped up on the first step. "Let's get to it."

Niall led the way upstairs, Louis after him, then Zayn and Liam behind Louis. When they entered their shared bedroom, Harry was in the same position Louis had found him in when he'd come up before--back against the bed, knees bent, eyes closed. The only difference was he had just one earbud in instead of two, clearly not wanting to be surprised when Louis and the others came in.

Niall walked right over to Harry and crouched down. "Okay, mate, time to stand up." He grabbed Harry's free hand, then rose back to a standing position, pulling Harry with him as he went.

Harry appeared genuinely confused, but he dropped his Nano and earbuds and went with it without complaint.

As soon as they were both upright, Niall threw his arms around Harry and drew him into one of his trademark bear hugs. Louis could tell that Niall whispered something in Harry's ear, but he couldn't hear what it was. What he could hear was Niall's follow-up. "You are a right idiot."

As Niall let him go, Harry questioned him. "What for?"

"For thinking for even one second that you aren't meant to be in this band."

Harry had the grace to blush.

"Niall is right," Liam agreed. "We absolutely couldn't do this without you."

Harry smiled softly at Liam's words, but Louis could tell he wasn't truly convinced.

"Okay, boys, circle in the middle," Louis commanded.

Since he was closest, Niall took Harry's hand and led him the two steps it took to get to the centre of the room. They all sat cross-legged in a circle, the way they had grown wont to do when they needed to talk about something all together in a group.

Louis cleared his throat to make sure he had everyone's attention. "The reason I called this group meeting is because young Hazza here seems to be under the impression that his presence in the band is costing us votes and that we would be better off without him here."

"Louis," Harry whispered, embarrassed, from his spot to Louis's right.

"It's true, Harry. That's what you think, isn't it?"

Harry had no argument for that and just closed his mouth.

"That's ridiculous," Zayn scoffed.

"Total bollocks," Niall concurred.

"We wouldn't even be One Direction without you, Haz," Liam put in.

"Huh?" Harry's brow wrinkled.

"You named us," Liam reminded him. "God only knows what shitty name we would have come up with without you."

Harry quirked his lips in a small smile.

"And that's just a tiny thing," Liam went on. "Simon and Nicole put us five together for a reason. Our voices sound good together, and we need all five of us to sound our best. Remember when we were trying to practise at Judges' Houses when Louis wasn't there? And even this morning, when he was gone again."

"Our harmonies were for shit," Harry recalled.

"Exactly. And the same happened when you weren't there those times you were ill." Liam concluded, "We didn't sound close to right without you there."

"You could find someone with a voice like mine, though," Harry pointed out. "Someone who can see."

"I thought we'd cleared this up before," Liam argued back. "It doesn't matter to any of us one iota that you're blind. Right, lads?"

Louis, Zayn, and Niall chorused, "Right."

"We need you here," Zayn said. "You. Not some other bloke."

"But why?" Harry seemed perplexed. "Wouldn't it be easier without having to guide me around, especially during performances? Without every interview being all about me and my eyesight?"

"First of all, every interview isn't about that. Not now. And you know it," Zayn chastised. "Just yesterday all they were asking about is how we liked being out on our own for the first time. Second, none of us mind having to give you a hand during performances. It's really not a big deal."

"I'd miss you like crazy if you weren't here," Niall told him.

Harry was willing to admit, "I'd miss you, too."

"So, how can you even be thinking of leaving? Would you really, seriously deprive us of all your corny jokes?"

Harry smirked at that.

"I'd miss getting to hang out with one of the kindest people in the world," Liam told him. "You are sweet to every single person you meet. I've never seen anything like it."

Harry blushed at the compliment.

"And I'd miss having someone to bitch about dancing with," Zayn put in. "If you weren't here, I'd be fighting against that all by myself. Probably losing, too."

That made Harry chuckle.

"No one would miss you more than me, though," Louis spoke up after a long while of letting the other boys carry the conversation. "I would miss everything about you. I would miss your smile and your laugh. I would miss the way you make me smile and laugh. I would miss cuddling up with you in bed at night. I would miss getting to look over when we're singing and seeing you there, lighting up the whole room. You do, you know? Light up the whole room. I know you can't tell, but everyone notices."

Harry blushed furiously at Louis' words, even more than he had done at Liam's.

"Furthermore," Louis went on. "I know what those asshats said, but I could never, ever be bored with you. You are the best person I know, and I feel incredibly lucky to have found you and to get to call you mine for as long as you'll have me."

Harry beamed at that, and Louis said silent thanks that the other lads had chosen not to take the mickey out of him just this once and allowed Louis' words to hang in the air over Harry.

After a moment of silence, Niall busted out with, "Well, Harry?"

"Well, what?" Harry shot back.

"Are we done with this nonsense? For a second time?" Niall wondered aloud, his voice filled with what sounded to Louis like a fair amount of mock weariness.

Another moment passed before Harry nodded.

Louis smiled and regarded Liam, Niall, and Zayn. "Lads, prepare yourselves for a little PDA."

The three boys in question instantly started talking among themselves as Louis turned his entire body toward Harry. "Haz, you need to forget what those assholes said. Not a word of it is true. You hear me?"

Harry nodded. "I do."

Louis reached out and cupped Harry's cheek briefly before snaking his hand behind Harry's neck to pull him in for a kiss. He kept it clean for the sake of the other boys, but firm enough that Harry would have no choice but to know exactly how Louis felt.

When they separated, Louis whispered, "I love you. Don't you ever doubt it."

With a soft smile, Harry returned, "I love you, too."

"So," Niall interrupted them. "Is this meeting over? I'm still starving."

* * *

When they awoke the next morning, Harry seemed his old self again. As they dressed for the day's activities, Louis asked him, "You feeling better today?"

Harry smiled, pulling a black sweater out from his pile of clothes. "I am. Thanks to you. I'm so glad you're back."

"Me, too. Oh, by the way, that reminds me," Louis said. "I did get to talk a lot with my mum while I was home, and I may have told her you and I were pretty serious at this point. You might want to tell your mum the same before my mum tells her."

A blush coloured Harry's cheeks, but he nodded. "I will."

Louis sighed as another reminder floated through his brain. "We'll need to meet with Simon this morning. I got a text saying he wanted to see us before we start practising."

"Okay."

Louis buttoned the top of his jeans and sat down on the edge of Harry's--their bed. "What do we want to say?"

"What do you want to say?" Harry replied, sitting at Louis' side.

Louis reached over and took Harry's hand. "I want to tell him that we're together and that nothing is going to change that."

Harry smiled sweetly. "That works for me, too."

"Then there it is. That's what we tell him." He punctuated his statement with a kiss. "Now we'd better get going. Liam is glaring at us from the door."

Less than an hour later, Louis and Harry were ushered once again into a conference room, just as they had been nearly a week earlier. Just as they had been then, they were seated across the table from Simon and producer Peter Jameson. Under the table, Louis held tightly to Harry's hand.

"So, Louis," Simon opened the meeting. "Good trip home?"

Louis nodded, though he did chance to add, "As good as an enforced trip home could be."

Simon let Louis' statement pass without comment, instead inquiring, "Did you think like I asked you to?"

"I did," Louis assured him.

"What about you, Harry?" Simon shifted his gaze to the younger boy. "Did you get a chance to do some thinking while Louis was away?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

"Good, good. So, what did you decide?"

Harry squeezed Louis' hand, a clear signal that Louis should take this one. And take it he did.

He looked Simon straight in the eye and said, "Harry and I are not breaking up. Not now. Hopefully not ever." Louis squeezed Harry's hand back.

Simon nodded and smiled. "Okay, then."

Louis quickly went on to say, "We'll keep it strictly professional here at the studio, and, of course, any time we're on camera. As much as we can."

"Okay, then," Simon repeated. "And do the other boys know what's going on?"

"Yes," Louis confirmed. "We have their total support. You can call them in here to ask."

Simon shook his head. "No, I trust you."

"Is there anything else, then?" Louis wanted to know.

"Best of luck," Simon told them. "Keep working hard. Get down to the studio. It's time to start blocking."

"That's it?" Harry said incredulously.

"That's it," Simon concluded. "Go on. See you guys in a little bit."

Louis couldn't quite believe it had been that easy, but he decided not to push it. He stood, pulling Harry with him as he went, and, in a move they'd perfected over the last few weeks, Harry dropped Louis' hand and easily found his opposite elbow.

They made their way out of the conference room, heading toward the studio to meet up with Niall, Liam, and Zayn and await their turn to start blocking their performance.

They were wending their way through a long corridor which led to the backstage area when Louis saw them. Noah and Charlie. The two stagehands who had made Louis' time away a living hell for Harry. They were leaning against a wall, just chatting, clearly not in a hurry to get anywhere.

Louis made an instant decision. He led Harry into the studio, finding their bandmates off to the side of the stage cracking wise with Aiden Grimshaw, who was likewise awaiting his turn to block.

As they walked up to them, Niall called out, "Hey! Louis! Harry! How'd it go?"

Harry shrugged. "Fine. He was really cool about everything."

Niall's grin was ear to ear. "That's great!"

"Since it isn't our turn yet, I need to go to the toilet," Louis excused himself the best way he could think of on the fly.

Harry dropped his elbow and said, "Hurry back."

"Won't take long," Louis promised. Without another word, he retraced his steps, working his way back into the corridor.

He approached the stagehands as casually as he could.

"Hey, Noah. Charlie," he greeted them.

They were cautious when they returned Louis' greeting, but because he had never really spoken to them so directly before, not because they were feeling any traces of guilt about their conversation regarding Harry. Louis hoped to change that.

"How's it going?" Louis asked, keeping his tone light.

"Okay," Charlie answered. "How's it going with you?"

"I'm glad you asked," Louis returned. "As it happens, I got to spend a good portion of yesterday evening trying to convince one of my bandmates that he didn't need to quit the band because he might be costing us the win. So, I've had better days."

Both Noah and Charlie blanched a little at Louis' words, proving that he was on the right track.

"I have some information I'd like to share with you, if that's okay," Louis went on, leaning closer to them just a tiny bit.

"Okay," Noah allowed carefully, though his face told Louis he wanted out of this conversation five minutes ago.

As pointedly as he could, Louis told them, "My boyfriend, who I am not at all bored with, by the way, may be blind, but he's not deaf. You may want to pay a little more attention to who's around when you start to talk shit about someone behind their back."

Charlie winced at Louis' words while Noah sputtered, "W-we had no idea he was there."

Louis pursed his lips and shook his head. "You are missing the point. So I'll try one more time. Stop. Talking. About. Harry. Unless it's to talk about what an amazing person he is or what a fantastic voice he has, you need to leave him out of your discussions. Understand?"

They both nodded.

"Good." He turned to leave, but thought of one more thing and swiveled back on his heel. "Oh, and if I or any of my bandmates hear that you've been dissing Harry again, I will take that information to Simon and let him decide what to do. Got it?"

He didn't really think Simon would do much of anything, but it was obvious Noah and Charlie thought he might, as they were quick to nod in agreement.

"Have a great day." Louis smiled over-brightly at them before turning around again and heading back down the corridor and to the side of the stage.

Aiden was on the stage talking to the director when Louis sidled up to Harry, touching him on the shoulder. "Hey," he said. "I'm back."

Harry smiled in Louis' direction. "Just in time. We're up after Aiden."

"Good."

"Everything okay?" Harry inquired, concerned. "You were gone awhile."

"Everything is fine," Louis assured him. "Everything is just fine."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The X-Factor_ Live Shows: Weeks 6  & 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I continue to be so excited by how much people seem to be enjoying this story. I hope that keeps going with this chapter.... (P.S. This is the shortest chapter of the lot. The next three are all bigger....)

Week Six brought them "Something About the Way You Look Tonight." 

"I don't know about that song," Louis said with hesitation the moment Simon brought it up.

"Why?" Liam asked.

Louis gazed pointedly at Harry, who caught on to the meaning of the silence pretty quickly. "Because of me?"

Louis shrugged, adding, for Harry's benefit, "Yes. The lyrics are all about how someone looks."

Harry shrugged, unconsciously mimicking Louis. "Doesn't matter. They're just words. It's fine."

"You're sure?" Louis checked.

Harry nodded. "I'm sure."

"Okay, then."

To prove his point further, Harry then pushed for--and got--his first live show solo, Liam happily sharing the lead.

Rehearsals for both the group number and their independent number went swimmingly for the first couple days. Wednesday was Blocking Day, and the minute they stepped onto the stage for their turn, Louis knew there were going to be some issues this week.

For the first five weeks of live shows, the staging of their numbers had been pretty simple. They would start out somewhere near the back of the stage and walk forward to be closer to both the judges and the audience. This made things very easy for Harry. He would either walk slightly behind one of the boys with his hand as unobtrusively as possible on that boy's arm, or he would walk slightly in front of one of the boys, and that boy would surreptitiously guide him with a hand on his waist or at the small of his back. Harry would count steps either way, and though it took a little practise each week, by the time they got to the live show, their walk-ons would be seamless.

This time, when they walked onto the stage, there were five platforms set in a row in the middle of the stage. The four members of the band who could see stopped in their tracks, leaving Harry to stop moving when Louis stopped moving.

"What's wrong?" Harry wondered aloud.

"They have platforms up on the stage," Liam explained. "Five of them."

"Platforms?" Harry repeated, a puzzled look on his face.

"Raised platforms," Zayn confirmed.

"Here, I'll show you." Louis started forward again and led Harry to the closest of the platforms, placing Harry's hand on the edge and letting him go.

Harry walked around the platform, trying to get a feel for the dimensions. "Do they mean us to stand on these?" he asked dubiously.

"I think they do," Niall answered.

At that moment, one of their favourite stagehands, a guy named Mick, came over. "Hey, lads, you like it? We thought we'd try something new."

Louis met his gaze. "Did you happen to forget something?" He gestured in Harry's direction. "He can't see. I'm not sure standing up on the top of a platform is the best idea."

Harry immediately stopped his examination of the objects in question. "I can try it," he proclaimed, though his tone was not quite certain. Louis suspected that this was one of those cases where Harry a) didn't want to be a bother and b) didn't want to keep the rest of the boys from doing something just because he couldn't see.

"I don't know, Haz," Louis countered. "It's pretty high up."

Harry shrugged. "How bad could it be?"

Louis was already envisioning all the ways in which this could be bad, starting with images of Harry falling off the platform and being injured in a vast variety of ways--all of which would necessitate a second trip to the hospital in the space of as many months.

He went ahead and said it out loud. "I can think of lots of bad that could happen. I really, really don't think it's a great idea."

"I want to try," Harry reiterated stubbornly, a determined look taking over his features.

Louis sighed heavily. "Well, I want it on record that I think it's a terrible idea."

"Got it," Harry said evenly before walking around behind the platforms to where a set of stairs led up to each one. "So, which one should I take?"

They consulted with Brian, their favourite choreographer, and the producer on the set that day, and decided that Harry should be in the middle, then Liam and Louis on either side of him, with Niall and Zayn on the ends. It would be Louis and Liam's job to spot Harry on his platform.

Once they'd established everyone's position, it was time to go ahead and practise.

Harry allowed Louis to get him to the back of his platform, but when Louis moved to help him up the stairs, Harry shook him off. "Thanks, Lou. I think I've got it."

Louis anxiously watched as Harry used his fingers to find each of the five steps it took to get to the top of his platform. Once there, Harry straightened very gingerly.

"There's a mic stand just in front of you, Haz," Louis told him as he mounted the platform to Harry's left.

Harry felt in front of himself for the microphone, popping it off the stand to just hold in his hand.

The studio musicians struck the opening notes, and Liam sang his part flawlessly, Zayn singing counterpoint.

Harry's solo was next. He started out beautifully, just like during rehearsals. Louis had been so proud of Harry for pushing to have a solo finally, for the first time since Judges' Houses. Zayn was singing underneath Harry, and it was just about time for them all to come in on the chorus when it happened.

Harry took a step forward. Later, Louis wouldn't remember to ask Harry if he'd gotten disoriented or if he just wanted to move a little while he was singing. It didn't matter. The result was that when he took a step forward, Harry's foot landed right on the mic stand. The stand tipped back, hitting Harry's shoulder.

In his surprise, Harry stopped singing and took a step back, off the mic stand and right into the space in between his platform and Liam's. Louis could only watch helplessly as Harry started to fall, too far away to stop it. Fortunately, Liam was not too far away. He dropped his mic--sending a screeching noise echoing through the entire room, and causing the studio musicians to stop playing--and reached out for Harry. His forearm caught Harry's chest, and when he brought his other arm around, it kept Harry from slipping any further into the crevice. He straddled the two platforms to help Harry regain his balance.

Once it was clear that Harry was safe, Louis yelled, "That's it; we're done. We're done with the platforms!" Jumping across the divide between his own platform and Harry's, Louis put a firm hand on each of Harry's biceps and walked him down the stairs back to the stage, Harry visibly shaking all the way down.

Louis thought Harry was shaken from his almost-fall off the platform. He soon discovered he was wrong. At the bottom of the stairs, Harry forcibly extricated himself from Louis' iron grip and yelled, "What the hell, Louis?!"

"What?" Louis was totally confused.

"Don't do that," Harry snapped in a mean tone Louis had never heard from him before.

Taken aback, Louis returned, "Don't do what?"

"Don't...manhandle me."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to help you after you nearly fell off the fucking platform," Louis said, matching nasty tone for nasty tone.

"Well, I'm fine. See?" Harry held his arms up and turned in a slow circle. "Not a scratch."

"Only because Liam was there," Louis shot back. "If Liam hadn't been there you'd be on your way to hospital right now."

"But he was, so I'm not. Now, let's do this again." Harry held his hands out and gingerly tried to find his way back to the platform stairs. He was hindered by the fact that he'd spun himself around and was now obviously disoriented.

Louis' heart dropped into his stomach as he watched Harry trying to find his way without help. Damned if Louis would jump in, though, after the way Harry had just spoken to him. Snidely, he said, "You're facing the wrong way."

Harry reflexively reached around himself to feel for his back pocket. "Where the fuck is my cane?"

"Backstage, where it always is," Louis informed him. Harry had stopped bringing his cane out with him on stage weeks ago. He didn't need it when his bandmates were right there with him all the time. "But you don't need it, because we are done with the platforms."

"No, we're not," Harry said firmly, redoubling his efforts to try to figure out where he was, although he was still about a half a metre off his goal.

"You can't even find the bottom step up to the platform. There's no way on Earth I'm letting you get back on top of it."

"You're not going to 'let' me?" Harry stopped moving to question, his tone sliding into mocking.

"No," Louis said matter-of-factly. "I'm not."

"You don't get to make that decision," Harry told him.

"Yes, I do," Louis countered.

"Why?"

"Because you're fucking blind, that's why," Louis snarled, finally reaching his boiling point.

Louis literally heard the air leave Harry's lungs at Louis' words, and he instantly regretted them. At the same time, he heard gasps from their three bandmates. Louis had, in all honesty, forgotten that he and Harry were not alone on the stage. He sighed, not entirely sure how things had spiraled out of control so quickly. He reached a hand out to touch Harry's forearm. "Harry…."

Harry yanked his arm away and called for, "Niall?"

That stung. Louis watched as Niall sidled up to Harry and said, "Right here, Harry."

Harry reached out his right hand, and Niall slipped his elbow into it. "Can you help me find my cane, please?"

"Sure," Niall agreed, his tone careful. With a sad backward glance at Louis, Niall led Harry off the stage, presumably to head to the practise room where they routinely stored all their stuff while they rehearsed all day.

Once Harry was out of sight, Louis broke down, sitting down on the platform steps Harry had tried so hard to find. Liam crouched in front of him, and Zayn sat down next to him, laying a supportive hand on Louis' thigh. As he held his face in his hands and hauled in unsteady breaths, Louis listened to the producer call for a ten minute break. _The show is over,_ Louis thought bitterly.

It took a few moments, but Louis eventually pulled himself together. He looked up and found Liam looking at him, the sympathy he felt evident in his gaze. "I'm an idiot, Li."

Liam shook his head. "No. You're not. You were scared. We all were. If he had fallen, that would have been really, really bad."

Louis shook his head, too. "I shouldn't have said what I did. He is never going to forgive me."

"Of course he is. He loves you," Liam reminded him. "He was just scared and probably embarrassed, too. He's going to realise that you only want to keep him safe."

"That is all I want, Liam. For him to be safe," Louis confirmed urgently, needing someone to believe he had Harry's best interests at heart.

"Besides, you were right," Zayn added to the conversation. "He never should have been up on that platform to begin with."

"He just…." Louis didn't even know how to put it.

Liam did. "He just wants to do everything we can. But the truth is he can't. If we're really in this for the long haul, we need to accept that, and so does he."

"It isn't fair," Louis lamented.

"No, it isn't," Liam agreed. "But it is what it is."

Louis sighed and closed his eyes as he pulled in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "What am I going to say to him?"

"Just be honest. Tell him you were scared for him," Zayn suggested.

"And let him know it's okay not to be able to do something," Liam added, "and that you don't think any less of him."

"I don't," Louis hastened to say.

"I know you don't," Liam assured Louis. "He may need to hear it, though."

Louis hauled in another deep breath. "I guess I should go find him."

"Why don't you let Zayn go check on him and Niall first? Make sure he's ready to talk."

Reluctantly, Louis nodded. "Okay."

Zayn squeezed Louis' knee before he rose from the stair. "I'll be back with a report as soon as I can. Hang in there. It's all going to be fine."

"I hope so," Louis said to Zayn's back as Zayn moved off the stage in the same direction that Niall and Harry had gone.

"C'mon, let's go find some water or a soda," Liam urged. Speaking more loudly, he went on, "Look at Mick. He wants to kick us off the stage. Right, Mick?"

Louis had not noticed Mick standing off to the side, but now he looked, he could see Mick eyeing the ill-fated platforms. "Off with you, boys! We need to clear the platforms so Ms. Ferguson can take the stage."

Louis and Liam nodded in tandem, and both boys hurried off the stage, making their way toward the green room, where drinks and snacks could almost always be found.

There were a few other contestants lounging in the green room, but Louis was in no mood to chat with any of them, so he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed back into the hallway to wait for the okay from Zayn.

It took a few minutes, but Zayn eventually appeared. He started to turn toward the stage area, where he'd last seen Louis and Liam, but Louis called to him, and he switched his trajectory.

Louis raised his eyebrows hopefully. "Well?"

"I think he's as ready as he's going to be," Zayn replied. "He and Niall are in the practise room."

"Do you want us to come with?" Liam asked.

Louis considered the offer briefly, then shook his head. "Thanks, but I think I should do this alone."

"Okay. We'll wait right here in the green room. Yell if you need us," Liam commanded with a supportive smile.

"Thanks." Louis drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, then began to walk toward their practise room.

The door was closed when he got there. Normally, he wouldn't have, but he knocked to make sure it was safe to enter.

Niall's voice called out, "Come in!"

Louis steeled himself and opened the door.

Harry and Niall were sitting on the sofa which sat in the corner of the room. It became obvious to Louis as he moved closer that Harry had been crying, and it broke Louis' heart all over again.

"Hi," Louis said softly.

Niall looked from Harry to Louis, then back again. "I'm gonna go. If you're okay with that, Harry."

Harry nodded. "It's okay."

Niall leaned forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Harry. Louis heard him whisper, "It's going to be all right," in Harry's ear.

Harry nodded against Niall's shoulder before Niall let him go. Niall rose and grasped Louis' upper arm in a show of solidarity, nodding and smiling in an effort to bolster Louis' nerves.

Louis nodded back and mouthed, "Thanks."

When Niall was gone, Louis asked, "Can I sit down?"

Harry nodded.

Louis sat down in the spot previously occupied by Niall, taking care not to touch Harry just yet. He bit his bottom lip anxiously before saying, simply, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Harry responded cautiously.

"For saying what I said the way I said it."

"Which part?" Harry continued to press for specifics, his voice strained. "The part where you ordered me around, or the part where you finally told me how you really see me?"

"But I don't," Louis protested quickly.

"Don't what?"

Louis sighed. "Think of you as anything other than the boy I fell in love with four months ago."

"You could have fooled me," Harry scoffed. "Back there on the stage, I am pretty sure all you were seeing was a poor, pathetic blind boy."

"That's not true. What I saw was my boyfriend almost fall off a platform because he couldn't see the edge."

"That's the same thing," Harry stated morosely.

"No, it's not," Louis maintained. He pulled in a deep breath before going on to explain himself. "Harry, when you started to fall, my heart stopped. There wasn't anything I could do. I wasn't close enough to get to you. And it was my fault you were there in the first place."

Harry shook his head. "But it wasn't. I was the one who insisted on trying."

"I should have tried harder to talk you out of it. I knew it wasn't a good idea."

"I should have been able to stand on the platform without falling over," Harry lamented.

"Why? You can't see," Louis pointed out, not unkindly.

"You keep saying that. You think I don't know? Believe me, I know. I am reminded of it every single day," Harry assured him wearily.

Louis paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Then he said, "You don't need to be able to do everything the rest of us can. You know that, right?"

Tears were in the corners of Harry's eyes when he answered, "But I want to."

"I know." Louis sighed in sympathy and risked reaching a hand out to touch Harry's forearm. Thankfully, Harry didn't reject the small advance.

"It's hard," Harry admitted in a quiet voice. "I'm used to not being able to do things. That's not new; that's my life. And most of the time I'm okay with it because it only affects me. But I don't want to mess things up for you guys."

"By not getting up on a platform?" Louis asked, speaking just as softly as Harry had been.

Harry shrugged.

"Oh, Harry," Louis whispered, shifting his hand from Harry's forearm to his knee, squeezing it tightly. In a firm tone, he told him, "The platform doesn't matter. People aren't going to decide not to vote for us just because we're not singing on a platform. At least I hope they're not. That would be stupid."

Harry offered a small chuckle and an even smaller smile.

"We need to make a deal," Louis said.

"What kind of deal?"

"If we all stay together as a band, lots of stuff like this is going to come up. Stuff like the platform," he specified. "We need to have a real discussion about those things. We need to decide--all together--how important they are and how safe they are for you."

"That makes sense," Harry agreed. Then he checked, "No more ordering me around?"

"No more," Louis confirmed. "I promise. Though I can't promise not to have a strong opinion when it comes to keeping you in one piece."

"Fair enough," Harry allowed.

"Haz, you need to remember that if you can't do something, it's not a big deal," Louis went on. "We all understand. Most of the time, it's going to be something that's not important anyhow."

"But what if it is?" Harry wondered out loud. "What if it is something important?"

"Then we'll figure out a way to make it work," Louis replied easily. "Okay?"

"Okay."

Louis paused for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry I spoke to you the way I did. You really scared the shit out of me, and I may have overreacted."

Harry smirked. "I'm sorry, too. I was pretty freaked out myself."

"I love you," Louis reminded him. "No matter what."

Harry gave him a genuine smile this time. "I love you, too."

Louis scooted closer to Harry before leaning over to gently kiss him. When he lifted his lips from Harry's, he asked, "We good?"

With a grin, Harry said, "We're good."

Louis backed up to say, "Then we need to get out there and let them know we haven't killed each other and that we're ready to try the song again."

"This time without the platform?"

Louis laughed. "Definitely without the platform." He stood up and then reached back to grab Harry's hand to help him stand. Once Harry was upright, Louis let his hand go. Harry trailed his fingertips up Louis' forearm to find his elbow. Louis inquired, "Ready?"

"Ready."

Louis spied Harry's cane sitting on top of the table just inside the door. He stopped moving to look over at his boyfriend. "Want your cane?"

Harry shook his head and smiled. "No. I'm fine."

Louis smiled, too, opening the door to an anxious Niall, Liam, and Zayn, who had been waiting in the hallway.

Liam raised his eyebrows. "Everything okay?"

Louis and Harry both nodded.

"Great!" Niall cheered. "Now we need to get going. They want us on the stage five minutes ago."

"Yikes!" Louis exclaimed. "We'd better get going." He and Harry swiftly followed Liam, Zayn, and Niall back into the studio, where the stage had been cleared for them. Not a platform in sight.

Their second try at a rehearsal went off without a hitch.

* * *

At the end of their practise the following morning, it was revealed that they were to attend the premiere of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1_ that evening.

Niall, Liam, and Zayn were all instantly overexcited, barely able to contain themselves. Louis, however, was worried about Harry's reaction. It was one thing for them to watch a movie at home, where he and whoever else was around would be able to describe what was going on on screen to Harry. It was quite another to go out into an actual theatre. He didn't want Harry to feel lost or out of place.

"Do we have to go?" Louis asked the staffer who'd made the announcement, a guy called Mike Abernathy.

"You don't want to?" Mike returned, surprised.

Louis looked over at Harry. "I don't know. Harry? What do you think?"

Harry shrugged. "Sounds like it could be fun."

"Have you ever been to a theatre for a movie before?" Louis wondered aloud.

Harry nodded. "Sure. I've been. Not a lot, though. And usually not when a movie first comes out, but when it's been out a while, then whoever goes with me can whisper-explain."

"A premiere will probably be packed," Louis pointed out. "Might not be so easy to whisper. We don't have to go if it's going to be hard for you to follow."

"I don't mind." Louis could tell Harry meant it. "I've seen the other _Harry Potter_ films, so to speak. I can muddle along."

"If I may," Mike jumped in. "You won't have to. The studio has arranged for you to have access to a Descriptive Video Service during the movie, Harry."

"What's that?" Louis inquired, looking from Mike to Harry, not sure who would offer up an explanation.

"I thought they only had that on TV," Harry commented.

So, Louis turned his attention to Mike, who said, "Nope, it's being brought into theatres now, and the studio is going to have it in place tonight."

"But what is it?" Louis repeated.

"A separate track where someone explains the visuals on the screen," Harry told him. "It's kind of like the opposite of captions for deaf people."

"Cool. That's awesome."

"It's still pretty new," Harry went on, "but it is definitely cool. I've gotten to use it just a couple times with some videos on the TV."

"So, yes to the premiere, then?" Louis concluded.

"Sure," Harry confirmed.

"Then we're all in," Louis told Mike, then Mike left to go report to whoever he had to report to, leaving the boys to get some lunch before it was time to continue with the day's rehearsal.

It was hard to focus on practising the group number when they were all so hyped about the movie premiere. Their reward for making it through their group practise was a visit from the star of the movie himself, Daniel Radcliffe, who made a special trip to the studio just to meet the band.

They got to chat with him for a little bit, and they asked him questions about filming the movie and what it was like to work with Emma Watson, while Daniel told them he watched _The X-Factor_ and was a big fan of theirs. It was mind-blowing to think of a huge movie star following their journey on a singing competition show on television.

When Daniel left to get himself ready for the premiere, the boys were taken back to the house to get themselves ready for the same.

While the others rooted through their clothes for something they wanted to wear to the premiere, Louis helped Harry put together an outfit of khaki pants, a black shirt and a black jacket, finished off by a pair of black boots.

As Harry slipped on the clothes, he asked, "So, there will be a red carpet, yeah?"

Louis pulled a blue and white striped shirt, a pair of khaki pants, and a black jacket of his own from the clothes piled on his bed and answered, "Yeah, I'd guess there will be. Big premiere and all."

"Do you think we'll have to answer questions and pose for pictures?" Harry went on.

"Probably," Louis said. "You okay with that?"

Harry shrugged. "Big crowd, lots of noise. It might be a little confusing for me."

Louis stopped what he was doing to move to Harry's side, squeezing his shoulder when he got there. "I'll be right there, Haz."

"Us, too," Liam put in.

"We'll have your back," Niall vowed.

Louis felt Harry relax under his touch. "Better?"

Harry nodded. "Thanks."

There was a knock at their door just then, and Rebecca's voice calling through, "Your ride's here, One Direction!"

The boys rushed through the last of their preparations, then dashed down the stairs and into the car that had been sent for them.

It was not a terribly long drive to Leicester Square, though the band did have to wait a bit for their car to make it to the bottom of the red carpet for them to disembark.

After they were out of the car, Harry got an iron grip on Louis' arm, and they began their slow walk through the gauntlet.

The first reporter they came to was from the BBC. She enthusiastically greeted them. "It's One Direction from _The X-Factor_!"

They huddled in a line in front of her. "Hi," they all chorused.

"How are you boys doing tonight?" she asked, randomly thrusting the mic at Liam.

"Great!" Liam enthused right back.

"Is this your first time attending a movie premiere?" she went on, moving the mic to Niall.

"Yes. It's amazing," Niall told her.

"Wicked cool," Zayn added from his spot next to Niall, twisting his head to take in the scene around him. Celebrities were all around them talking to all the different reporters littering the sides of the carpet. It was madness. A good kind of madness.

"So, how is the movie going to work for you, Harry?" the reporter inquired somewhat ineptly.

Louis stiffened a little at the question, but Harry squeezed his elbow where he held it, an indication, Louis guessed, that it was okay. Harry smiled at her and explained, "The studio has arranged for Descriptive Video for me."

The reporter shook her head. "I haven't heard of that."

"It's kind of like the opposite of captions for the deaf," Harry told her, just as he'd done Louis. "It describes the action on the screen. It's pretty awesome."

She smiled, clearly charmed by Harry, the way most people were if they got even a moment to talk with him. "That's great." She turned to Louis to go on to note, "So, you guys are doing really well on _The X-Factor_."

Louis nodded, happy that the questioning relating to Harry's eyesight had been kept to a minimum and was over--for now. "We're having a fantastic time."

"Well, we have Alan Rickman right behind you, and reporters in front of you who are dying to talk to you, so I'll wish you boys a good night!"

"Thanks," they all said over each other before moving back onto the middle of the carpet to make their way to the next reporter.

"You okay?" Louis whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry nodded with a smile. "I'm fine. Relax."

"Let me know if the questions get to be too much." Louis requested, still speaking right into Harry's ear.

Harry shivered at Louis' closeness. "I will," he promised.

Harry never did have to let Louis know that the questions got to be too much. As they moved down the carpet from one reporter to the other, there was query after query about Harry's blindness, both in general and in how it related to the event they were attending. Each question made Louis cringe and want to hit the reporter asking it. He recognised, however, that this was just a result of these reporters not having had direct exposure to them before.

Besides, Louis himself was fascinated by Harry. How could he blame anyone else for feeling the same? Moreover, Louis was proud of the way Harry answered each and every inquiry thrown at him with grace and poise.

Finally, after interviews with more than a dozen media outlets and more photo ops than they could keep track of, the boys made it into the theatre, where they were guided to their seats. Harry collapsed into his seat with relief, clearly happy to be done with the mob scene outside, even if he'd handled it with a level of aplomb usually reserved for people much older than his sixteen years.

It wasn't long before a device was brought over to Harry by someone who worked for the theatre. It was a little box with a pair of earbuds attached to it. The theatre employee showed Harry what all the buttons were for, while Louis listened in and looked on, just in case Harry needed help later. The box did appear to be labeled with some abbreviated Braille, and Harry seemed pretty comfortable with trying to use the device by the time the theatre employee left.

The movie started not long after that, and Louis paid more attention to Harry than to the movie at the beginning, until Harry smiled and gave Louis the thumbs up when Louis whispered to check to see if the device was working correctly.

Over the next two and half hours, Louis checked in with Harry every once in a while to make sure he was getting what was going on in the movie. Harry nodded yes every time, indicating that the descriptions he was getting from the little wireless device were helpful.

When the movie was over, the band was escorted to an after-party being held in a ballroom at a nearby hotel. Harry stayed glued to Louis' side as the boys fanned out around the room being introduced to people they'd only ever seen in the movies or on television. More often than not, the people they were meeting knew who they were and wished them luck on _The X-Factor_. It was mind-boggling to all the boys that these famous people had been following their journey week after week.

They were exhausted by the time they were driven back to the house. Exhausted, but very happy. It had been a great night. The movie had been fun for all the boys. After all, they'd grown up reading and watching the _Harry Potter_ books and movies; it was really cool to be able to see this chapter of the series before it opened to the general public.

When they were curled up in bed together, Harry wrapped up in Louis' arms like usual, Louis kissed the back of Harry's head. "Did you have a good time tonight?" he asked softly.

Harry nodded. "I did. It was a lot of fun. How about you?"

"I had a really good time, too. I can't quite believe we got to go to a big movie premiere in Leicester Square."

"We're lucky, yeah?" Harry said, his voice extremely drowsy now.

As Louis pressed his forehead into Harry's curls--their silky smoothness caressing his skin as the smell of Harry's shampoo filled his nose--he couldn't agree more. "The very luckiest," he whispered before closing his eyes to let sleep carry him away.

* * *

Once they made it to Week Seven, One Direction began to believe they really had a chance to win _The X-Factor_. With just a month of the competition left to go, they had a core group of fans who were routinely propelling them into the upper half of those left at the end of any given results show. More and more girls were waiting outside to meet them any time they went to the studio, and the _X-Factor_ staff assured them that the level of hysteria and sheer number of fans was unprecedented in the show's history.

For their weekly performance, the boys chose to perform "All You Need is Love." After the success of his solo in Week Six, Harry again fought for--and won--a solo for Week Seven. As a whole, the boys were in a groove, sounding like a band that had been together for years, not just four months. Simon was impressed with them, and told them so often, boosting their confidence and adding to their feeling that they had a real chance to finish first.

Following on the heels of the gift of the _Harry Potter_ premiere, the boys got to meet some of England's premiere football players at an opening for footwear at Selfridges, and Rio Ferdinand, a Manchester United player, confessed that he was a huge fan of the band. Rio asked them if they wanted to attend the England vs. France game he was playing in at Wembley. The boys couldn't believe their luck, and accepted the invitation without hesitation--though they knew they would need the show's permission to go.

The producers, thankfully, agreed that the boys could go, not wanting to deprive them of such a great opportunity.

If they thought it was exciting to know that they were attending a star-studded movie premiere, it was even more exciting to contemplate that they were going to get to attend such a big football match at the invitation of one of the players. That made Wednesday's rehearsals feel excruciatingly long. By the time they made it to lunch, they felt like they'd been there twice the three hours they'd actually been there.

They settled at their usual table with sandwiches and sodas, buzzing with the anticipation of that evening's football match.

"It's going to be so sick to see a match at Wembley!" Niall exclaimed. "I'll even root for England."

"Whoa! Big talk there, Horan," Liam teased. "Sure you can handle it?"

"I'll give it a go." Niall grinned.

"What about you, Louis?" Liam asked. "Have you ever been to such a big match before?"

Louis shook his head. "Couple games up in Manchester, but nothing this big."

"Me, neither. I've only ever been to matches at school," Zayn said.

"I've never been to a match at all," Harry confessed quietly.

"Never?" Niall repeated. "Not even at school?"

Harry shook his head. "No commentators in the stands. I've only ever listened to the matches on TV or on the radio."

Louis' eyes grew wide. "Are you going to be okay with going?"

If Harry had known to roll his eyes, he would have. Instead, he just smiled and said, "This is not like the movie premiere. I can bring a radio and headphones and listen to the game while we're there, can't I? Thought of that this morning."

Louis grinned. "That's smart."

"It'll be fun."

"Yeah." Louis reached out and squeezed Harry's forearm. "It'll be fun."

Somehow, they made it through the afternoon, then when they were dismissed from rehearsing, they went back to the house to change for the match, pulling on casual clothes and wolfing down a quick dinner made up mostly of leftovers from the Chinese food they'd all ordered the night before.

Finally, it was time to go to Wembley. It was a little bit trippy being back at the arena, having not been back since boot camp. It felt like eons since that time, even if it had only been four months. They'd been through so much since then. Last time they had been there, they had just been five guys who'd barely known each other, but had been thrown together into a band. Now they were a full-fledged group, in it for however long they could ride it.

They were met by one of Rio's representatives, who escorted them to some box seats, courtesy of Rio and his teammates. The box came equipped with tables of food and drink, plush seats, and a sweet view down onto the pitch.

Niall wasted no time in attacking the snacks, claiming that the leftover Chinese had not been nearly enough, while the rest of the boys decided to pace themselves, getting only drinks before claiming their seats. Harry and Louis took seats at the end of a row, and Harry set about getting his radio ready for the match.

Louis used his phone to locate which station was broadcasting the game, and Harry was easily able to pick it up on his small radio. Once that was set, he asked Louis, "So, it is a really good view?"

Louis looked down at the pitch, where the players were all warming up. "Yeah, it isn't bad. When we have a record deal and we're rich and famous, I may have to look into getting a box up at Old Trafford."

Harry smiled. "That would be a good use of all your millions."

"What would you spend your millions on?" Louis inquired.

Harry pursed his lips and gave the question some thought. "I'm not sure. I think I'd buy my mum and Robin a new house."

Louis smiled fondly at him. He loved that Harry was always thinking of others before himself. "That's a terrific idea. I'll bet your mum would love that."

"Oh, she'd tell me she's perfectly happy in the house she has now," Harry countered. "But I'd wear her down."

"Of course you would. I'm not sure there are many people who could deny something to Harry Styles. Not with those curls or those dimples." He bumped his upper arm against Harry's to make sure Harry knew he was teasing.

Harry blushed, but the smile on his face told Louis he was pleased with the compliment.

"They're about to start," Louis announced, looking down where the players were running off the field to get ready for kick-off. Niall came racing over to the seats with a plate of food, plopping himself down on the opposite end of the row from Louis and Harry.

Harry put in his earbuds and switched on the radio, giving Louis a thumbs up when Louis asked if it was working.

During the first part of the game, Louis was careful to direct his comments to Liam on his left, allowing Harry to listen to the game without interruption. However, about twenty minutes in, he couldn't help himself, and he leaned near Harry's ear to say, "England is really botching this. It's like they've forgotten how to play. They've had, like, three chances to score, and they've missed every single one. At least they have the grace to look embarrassed."

Harry pulled out the earbud in his left ear and replied, "It doesn't sound like an even match-up at all."

Just at that moment, France scored a goal, sending the ball easily past England's goalie. "Argh!" Louis lamented. "They didn't even pretend to try to stop them. Just let them put it in the goal."

Harry shook his head. "So sad."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take you away from the commentary." Louis picked up the earbud Harry had dropped and slipped it back into Harry's hand.

As Harry put it back in, he assured Louis, "It's okay."

Ten minutes later, when England again gave up a chance to score, Liam told Louis, "I'll bet we five could do a better job than this lot is doing. They can't get the ball into the goal to save their lives."

"Well, and our goalie looks like he's afraid of the ball. Maybe he's afraid he'll turn to dust if it hits him," Louis joked.

Harry pulled out his left earbud again to comment, "Maybe they're waiting to make a dramatic comeback in the second half."

"You never know." Louis' attention was drawn back to the game. "France has control of the ball again. They're running it up the middle of the pitch like they're at practise with no opponents. England's kind of after them, but what a lame effort!"

"Those French are pretty good, though, yeah?" Zayn called over. "They're putting on an amazing show."

"Who are you rooting for, Zayn?" Liam asked.

"England, of course," Zayn returned, "but there's nothing wrong in admiring the competition, is there?"

"Finally!" Louis yelled. "England's goalie got over his fear of the ball to save it. No goal for France that time!"

Harry yanked out the other earbud, grinning.

It took Louis a moment to realise that Harry no longer had the earbuds in. When he did, he apologised again. "I'm sorry, Harry. I keep forgetting that you're trying to listen to the radio."

Harry shook his head. "Not anymore. You're way more entertaining. Commentate the rest of the match for me?"

Louis grinned. "It would be my pleasure, babe."

England lost the match 1-2, but the One Direction boys still had the best time. True to his word, Louis commentated the rest of the game for Harry, interjecting his own brand of sarcasm, not to mention a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Liam and Zayn helped, as did Niall--when he wasn't trying to clear the entire table of food sitting behind them.

When the game was over, they were invited down onto the pitch. They were met there by their host, Rio, and most of his teammates. They all shook hands, and the boys got to tell the players that though they lost, it was fun to watch them play. The band was even given England shirts and the match balls to keep.

Though the boys would not be able to really kick the ball around with all the players, Rio and his teammate, Ben Foster, did agree to let the boys each try their hand at making a goal. The boys agreed that that would be fantastic.

Ben stood in the goal, just as he had during the game, and Liam took his turn first, not able to get the ball past Ben. Niall went next, and his luck was no better. Zayn said before he ever went that he would never get the ball into the goal, and his prediction proved correct. Louis went next, and he did manage to get the ball past Ben, though he guessed that was less to do with his skill and more to do with Ben's weariness.

"You're up, Harry," Louis said as he high-fived Liam, Niall, and Zayn over his victory.

Harry shook his head. "No, that's okay. I don't need to."

"Of course you do," Louis scoffed. "When are you ever again going to get a chance to try for a goal at Wembley?"

Harry shook his head again. "No. It's really okay."

"Can we have a second?" Louis asked the others.

The others gathered in a small huddle to chat so Louis could talk to Harry semi-privately.

"Haz, I don't want to force you to do something you don't really want to do, but are you saying 'no' because you don't feel like kicking the ball or because you're embarrassed to in front of strangers?" Louis inquired, trying to keep his tone low and gentle.

The blush that sped to Harry's cheek and the way he was biting his bottom lip told Louis that it was the latter.

"You played with us when we were practically strangers, and you did great," Louis reminded him. "You even got a goal, if I recall correctly."

Harry smiled at the memory, but turned serious again very quickly. "But that was on my own pitch with my ball and the beepers."

"We'll set the ball right in front of you, and I'll stand behind the goal and make a whole lot of noise. Will that work?"

Harry scrunched up his face, unsure. "I don't know."

"I think you'll regret it if you don't try," Louis told him. "And if they say one word that makes it seem like they're making fun of you--which I don't think they will--I'll pummel them."

Harry chuckled. "Okay," he finally agreed. "I'll give it a shot."

"Excellent. C'mon." Louis grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out onto the pitch, where he announced, "I've talked him into it!"

"Great!" Rio said with a huge grin, handing Louis the ball.

While Ben trotted back to his position in front of the goal, Louis tucked the ball under the arm he wasn't using to guide Harry to the penalty mark. When they got there, Louis handed the ball to Harry and then ran behind the goal, standing in the middle, directly behind where Ben stood.

"Okay, Haz," Louis called loudly. "I'm right behind the goal, exactly in the middle. Tell me when you're ready, and I'll give you a sound to aim for."

Louis watched Harry take a deep breath, then place the ball on the ground directly in front of himself. As he straightened back up, he pulled in another deep breath, then yelled to Louis that he was ready.

Louis grinned and simply started chanting, "Haz, Haz, Haz, Haz."

Harry bent down to use his fingertips to double check where the ball was before rising once more. Louis was still chanting his nickname when a huge grin split Harry's face, and he threw his leg back before kicking the ball with all his might.

Louis suspected that either Ben was tired or he was not expecting the amount of power behind a ball kicked by a blind kid, but regardless of the reason, the ball sailed right past the goalkeeper and into the net.

A cheer went up behind Harry from his bandmates and Rio, and Louis ran back around the goal and back to Harry's side, throwing his arms around him for a victory hug. "You did it! He never knew what was coming at him."

Harry was still grinning when Ben came up to shake his hand. "That was a great kick, Harry. If the singing thing doesn't work out, you might want to consider being a football player."

Harry laughed and shook his head. "I'll stick with singing, I think. But thanks."

The boys collected all their loot and thanked Rio and Ben for staying after the game to hang and let them kick the ball with them. Rio told them it was his pleasure and that they should come to another game at some point in the future. Then he and Ben headed for the locker room and One Direction headed toward their car.

In the car, the boys were still totally high off their night at Wembley, and they took turns reliving some of the memorable plays in the match, comparing them to other matches they'd seen, and explaining how they would have played it so that England won.

As they pulled up onto the street the house was on, Louis stated, "Great night, lads!"

The others all agreed whole-heartedly. Louis went on to add, "I do believe I know which was the very best moment of the night."

"Which?" Niall asked. "When England actually scored a goal?"

Louis shook his head. "Nope. When Mr. Harry Styles got the ball past one of England's best goalkeepers."

Even in the dark of the car, Louis could see the smile that came over Harry's face, and he knew if it were light out, he would have seen a pleased blush colouring Harry's cheeks.

"Thanks, Lou," Harry said softly.

Niall reached over and bumped his fist against Harry's hand. Harry immediately tightened his hand in a fist, and Niall bumped a second time. Louis grinned. Niall had taught Harry the fist bump not long ago, and the new little routine they had was cute to watch.

"It was an awesome shot," Zayn commented, unbuckling his seatbelt now they were parked in front of the house.

"Our own little football star!" Liam slapped Harry on the back.

It was five exhausted, but thoroughly happy boys who climbed out of the car, into the house, and up the stairs, re-energized for the rest of the week ahead.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The X-Factor_ Live Shows: Week 8, Part 1 (of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just three chapters to go (counting this one)!! 
> 
> This chapter features a scene that was inspired by a scene in the movie _Mask_ , which stars Eric Stoltz (highly recommended movie!). So, if you've seen the movie, that 's why that scene seems familiar. *G*
> 
> Thanks, as always, for the continued support. It means a whole lot to me. :-)
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Week Eight began with a small disagreement. As usual, the boys met up Monday morning with Simon to discuss their song choices for the week. This would be the first week they would be singing two songs, and they would be working on a charity single, so they would need to continue to work hard to make it through everything successfully.

Every one of them had a cup of coffee or tea when they sat down in a circle of folding chairs to make their decision; the weeks of hard work were wearing on them all, and a little stimulation in the form of caffeine was definitely necessary. The week's theme was "Rock," with which the boys felt very comfortable.

After downing a sip of his coffee, Harry opened the conversation. "I think I have an idea for one of our songs."

"Go for it!" Simon encouraged him.

"'Summer of '69' by Bryan Adams," Harry revealed. "I used to sing that with my band, and it's definitely rock. It was a lot of fun to sing."

"That's a great song," Simon agreed. "And it's on the list. What do the rest of you boys think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Liam chimed in first.

"Me, too," Louis put in. "And everyone knows that song, so I think they'll get really into it."

"Kickin' it old school," Niall noted. "A rock song from the 80s. I say yes."

"Zayn?" Simon turned to the lone member of the band who had not shared an opinion.

Zayn nodded. "I think it's a good choice. I vote yes, too."

"Let's do it," Louis proposed firmly.

Harry smiled, clearly pleased that everyone was so enthusiastic about his idea.

"Okay, that's one sorted, then," Simon said. "Now, I have an idea about the other song."

"What?" Liam spoke for all of them.

"'You Are So Beautiful' by Joe Cocker," Simon shared his thought. "I'll bet Louis will say it's not a real rock song, but he'd be wrong. It's a great rock song, and I think you guys could do a great job with it."

The boys were silent for a moment, processing the idea. Louis mentally ran through the lyrics in his head--he thought he remembered most of them; after all, this particular song didn't have many--and he was not surprised when Liam and Zayn shook their heads simultaneously.

"I don't think so," Liam said, scrunching his nose.

"I don't either," Zayn echoed.

"Can I ask why?" Simon looked back and forth from Zayn to Liam. "Do you think it's not a song you guys can do?"

"It's not that," Liam told him.

"Then what is it?" Simon pressed for Liam to explain himself. He didn't sound peeved, merely curious. The boys had learned quickly that he was a great collaborator and truly believed in them.

"It's the lyrics," Liam offered hesitantly.

"The lyrics?" Simon repeated.

Liam and Zayn both looked over at Harry, tilting their heads meaningfully. Louis nodded that he concurred, while Niall shrugged and nodded in a way that indicated that he was also in agreement.

"Are you all having a silent conversation about me?" Harry wondered aloud. While Simon had not been peeved a moment ago, Harry most definitely was now. "Not fair. Not fair at all."

Simon cleared his throat uncomfortably and excused himself. "I'll be back in a bit to check on how your decision is coming along." Without any further preamble, he hurried from the room.

"Sorry, Harry," Louis was swift to apologise. "You're right, that isn't fair."

"Didn't we already have this discussion anyway, back in Week Six? What's the problem with this song's lyrics?" Harry wanted to know, his tone clearly expressing his weariness.

The other four boys exchanged a look meant to determine who was going to be the one to explain the issue to Harry. Liam finally raised his hands and mouthed, "Fine." He cleared his throat and said, "The lyrics are all about how beautiful the person the song is about looks to the singer."

"It doesn't seem fair to ask you to sing a song like that," Zayn added, though it was obvious he was embarrassed to admit it.

Harry sighed. "Because the word 'beautiful' is in the song?" he tried to confirm.

Niall was braver than any of the others and said, not unkindly, "Well, no one expects you to know what beautiful is."

"Sure, I do," Harry countered. "Beautiful isn't just what you can see. It can be what you hear, what you smell, what you feel."

"Of course," Liam agreed quickly, "but I'm not sure that's what it means in the context of the song."

Harry shrugged. "Why couldn't it?"

"I guess it could," Liam admitted. "Now that I think about it."

"Can I ask what may be a very stupid question?" Niall jumped back in.

Harry checked, "To me?"

"Yeah," Niall answered.

"Sure," Harry told him.

"I always thought that when you don't have one sense, your others get heightened or summat. Is that true?" Niall wanted to know.

Harry grinned. "You mean do I have super hearing?"

Niall grinned back. "Yeah."

"Not the way you mean, though that would be really cool. I can't hear what's going on in the next room or a heartbeat a mile away or anything," Harry said. "But I think my other senses are probably a little more developed than yours since I have to use them more to help make up for the fact that my eyes don't work. Does that make sense?"

"It does," Niall replied.

A moment of silence passed over the five of them before Harry inquired, "We've never really talked about what it’s like for me to be blind."

Louis cleared his throat in mock indignation. "Excuse me, Harry. I beg to differ."

"I'm sorry. Lou and I have, but the rest of us haven't. I'm happy to answer any other questions. And don't worry, there aren't any stupid questions on this subject. I was born this way; believe me, I've heard it all."

"Well, since you're opening the floor," Liam spoke up. "I have a question."

"Shoot," Harry allowed.

"I realised we've never really asked how much you can see. Can you see anything at all?" Liam inquired.

"Not a lot. I have some light perception. The brighter it is, the better I can make it out. And I can see some shadows if there's enough light." He reached his hand out and pointed across the circle in Niall's general direction. "I can tell there's someone right there, and I know it's Niall, but only because I know where he's sitting. I can't distinguish anything remotely resembling details."

"So, why don't you have a guide dog? I mean, you're great with the cane and all, but I would have thought a dog would be better," Liam supposed.

Harry smiled. "I may get one at some point, but up until this year, I wasn't allowed. You couldn't get one until you were sixteen. But they've changed those rules, so who knows? They even have guide horses, which I think would be really cool."

"They really have those?" Zayn questioned, surprised.

Harry nodded. "I got to meet one once."

"Cool." Zayn seemed quite impressed.

"Anything else?" Harry asked.

"What about colours?" Zayn wanted to know. "How do you know what they are?"

"I don't, really," Harry answered. "I know what colours go with other colours, but only because someone told me so I wouldn't go out dressed horribly. And I know what colours things are, like an apple being red or the sky being blue, but that's it."

"Has anyone ever tried to explain them to you?" Zayn followed up on his original question.

Harry shrugged. "Not in any way that made any sense. But it's okay. I muddle through."

Louis was reminded of their conversation back on the beach in Spain on this subject, but this time, Harry's words gave Louis an idea he tucked away in the back of his mind, making a mental note to revisit it when they were done with the day's rehearsals.

"Do you ever wish you could see?" Niall inquired softly.

"Sure," Harry told him. "It would make most everything a hundred times easier. But it is what it is, yeah? I can't change it, so I make do with what I've got. It isn't so bad. I still got here, didn't I?"

Louis grinned widely, another conversation coming back to his mind--the one back at the airport before they'd left for Spain. It was nice to know Harry had clearly taken his words to heart. "You did."

"So, we're going to sing this song, yeah?" Harry asked. "No more discussion?"

"Okay," Liam agreed. "'You Are So Beautiful' it is."

"And I want a solo," Harry went on.

"Works for me," Liam said. "Although you know Savan will get a say."

Harry nodded. "I know. But I can be persuasive."

Niall stood up. "I need to have a wee. On my way back, I'll let Simon know we're all set so we can get this show on the road."

When Niall had left, Harry commented, "Nothing like a little group therapy to get the week started, right?"

"Is that what that was?" Liam returned.

Harry grinned. "Maybe." More seriously, he added, "I just hope it worked so we don't have to go through this every time we get a song with questionable lyrics."

Louis saw Liam blush before saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to be a big thing."

"It's okay," Harry assured him. "I know you meant well. I appreciate you all trying to watch out for me."

"Any time," Liam promised.

Shortly thereafter, Niall reappeared, Simon and Savan right behind him.

"So," Simon said as he entered the room, "have you boys made a decision?"

"We're going to sing 'You Are So Beautiful,'" Harry announced determinedly.

"Good choice," Simon told them. "Now, can we get to work?"

In response, the boys stood, moved to stand around the practise piano, and readied themselves to sing their hearts out.

* * *

Once they got back to the house after a very successful first day of rehearsal, Louis was able to enact the plan he'd been mulling over ever since their "therapy session" that morning.

Helpfully, Harry wanted a shower when they arrived back at the house, giving Louis plenty of time to collect all the objects he'd need, moving everything into the kitchen and setting each thing up just so.

Also fortuitously, Harry enjoyed long showers, so everything was ready by the time Louis heard the shower stop running. He shooed everyone from the kitchen, asking for it to be left unoccupied until Louis' plan had been executed. Everyone readily agreed.

Louis raced upstairs to their bedroom, walking in as Harry was pulling up his sweatpants.

Louis flipped on the light--Harry never remembered to on the rare occasions he was the only one in the room--and alerted his boyfriend to his presence. "Hey, Haz. How's it going?"

"Fine," Harry replied, bending down to find a clean t-shirt to pull on.

Not wanting to give anything away, he said in as neutral a tone as he could manage, "When you're dressed, I need you to come downstairs with me."

"Okay, but why?"

"It's a surprise," Louis revealed.

"All right." He rose with a blue t-shirt in his hands, and he slipped it on. Next, he reached for the comb he kept on his window sill and ran it through his damp curls. Finally, he turned in Louis' direction and told him, "I'm ready."

Louis reached for Harry's hand and tugged him into motion. "Come on."

As Louis led him down the stairs, Harry asked, "You really won't tell me what this is about?"

"Nope," Louis told him. "I told you, it's a surprise."

They made their way through the living area into the kitchen. The room was still blessedly empty when Louis helped Harry jump up onto the island in the middle of the room. "Hold out your hands," he ordered.

Harry did not immediately raise them, hesitantly saying, "I don't know."

"Hey, don't you trust me by now?"

Harry smiled. "I do." He followed orders and lifted his hands.

Louis walked over to the freezer and pulled the rock he had collected from the garden out back from the ice compartment, where he had stored it a little while ago. Passing it from one hand to the other due to its temperature, he carried it over to Harry, dropping it in his waiting hands. 

Harry sucked in a surprised gasp and likewise began passing the rock back and forth from one hand to the other. "It's freezing!"

"That's blue," Louis told him.

"Blue?" Harry repeated, scrunching up his forehead.

"Yes." Louis walked back to the refrigerator and retrieved the stone he'd put there. He carried that over to Harry and placed it in the hand not holding the frozen stone. He announced, "That's green."

"Okay," Harry said carefully, but Louis could tell from the softening of his face that he was beginning to get it.

Next, Louis went to the stove and used the ladle he'd set on the counter to scoop out the stone he'd put in a pot of water to boil. As he walked back over to Harry, he requested, "Put those two down."

Harry did as he was told and put the two stones he possessed down next to him.

"Hands back up," Louis ordered, and when Harry complied, he placed the stone from the ladle in Harry's waiting hands.

Harry hissed at the heat, immediately beginning to toss the stone from hand to hand, just as he had the cold one.

"That's red," Louis declared. "And when it cools down a little, that's pink."

A huge smile took over Harry's face, dimples showing up as deep craters in each cheek. "I get it. Louis, I get it."

Louis beamed. He picked up his last aid, a bag of cotton balls. Grabbing a handful, he pushed them into the one of Harry's hands not holding the stone. "This is white."

Harry's smile grew a little wider. "Like clouds," he noted.

"Like clouds," Louis confirmed.

Finally, Louis took the cooling stone from Harry's hand—putting it to the side--and brought Harry's fingertips up to Harry's own face. "And this…this is beautiful. Just like the song says."

A lone tear trickled down Harry's cheek. The shy smile on the younger boy’s face told Louis that it was a happy tear, however. "Thank you, Louis," Harry whispered. "No one's ever done anything like this for me before."

Louis leaned forward and pressed his lips to Harry's. When he pulled away, he asked, "You know I would do anything for you, don't you?"

"I'm beginning to understand that," Harry admitted before moving in for another kiss, snaking his hands around to the back of Louis' neck to get him as close as possible.

When they parted for breath, Harry dropped his hands in his lap and said, "Louis, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything. Shoot."

"What's going to happen to us when this is over?"

"Us as in you and me or us as in the band?" Louis requested clarification.

"Either. Both."

"Well, we'll need to talk to the other lads about what they're thinking about the band, although I hope they want to take this as far as we can. I know I do," Louis told him.

"Me, too."

Louis took Harry's hands in his, holding fast. "As for us, I hope this is just the beginning."

"Me, too. I don't want to just go home and try to think about college again," Harry confessed. "I want to be wherever you are."

Louis leaned forward to capture Harry's mouth in another kiss. "We're already used to living together. Maybe we can get a place together wherever we need to be for the band. Assuming we continue with the band."

"Even if we don't continue as a band, I would love to get a place together," Harry said. "Even if my mum might need some convincing."

"I helped convince her to let you fly with me to Spain," Louis remembered. "Maybe I can help convince her that you'll be okay living in a flat with me."

Harry smiled widely. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Niall poked his head into the kitchen. "You 'bout done, Lou? I'm starving."

Louis chuckled. "What else is new? We're done. Come on in."

Niall grinned. "Super!" He crashed into the kitchen, Liam hot on his heels, and Matt right behind him.

"You lads hungry, too?" Niall asked, already opening up the fridge. 

Louis shrugged. "Sure. Haz?"

Harry slid off the counter carefully, Louis watching vigilantly, but not helping. "Sure. Food sounds good."

"There's stuff in here for spaghetti bolognese," Matt told the group gathered in the kitchen, which had grown to include Rebecca, Cher, and the rest of One Direction.

"I'll boil the pasta!" Niall yelled.

"I'll make the sauce," Rebecca offered.

"I'll help Rebecca," Cher joined in.

"We need garlic bread," Matt declared.

"Louis and I can set the table," Harry said, already heading in the direction of the cupboard where they kept the plates, Liam jumping out of his way easily.

"Cold, Haz, volunteering me for work," Louis teased, though he followed dutifully behind his boyfriend to the drawer that housed the silver.

"Since you can't cook a lick, you have to do the grunt work," Liam pointed out.

Louis balled up a nearby paper towel and hurled it in Liam's direction. "Shut up, you!"

"Easy, boys! I'll make the salad," Zayn said, sliding between Louis and Liam to make for the fridge and the makings for a salad.

Louis smiled as he counted out the number of forks and large spoons they would need. He would miss this when it was over; a typical night in the _X-Factor_ house. He knew well enough to enjoy every minute of it.

* * *

By Wednesday, they were ready to start blocking their performance. When the boys appeared backstage ahead of Savan and Brian, Mick just told them to go on out and check out the set-up for "Summer of '69." He hinted that Brian had decided to try something new for the performance.

The minute they walked out on the stage and four-fifths of the band saw the set-up the choreographers had in mind, Louis came to screeching halt and declared, unequivocally, "No. Not happening. No."

"What?" Harry asked, confused, stopped a pace behind Louis. "No what?"

"No platform, no stairs," Louis explained.

"Platform and stairs?" Harry repeated, still clearly puzzled. He held out his free hand. "Can I see?"

With reluctance, Louis walked to the end of the platform. When Harry's outstretched hand hit the platform, he let Louis go and began to explore.

"I don't think this is any better an idea now than I did two weeks ago," Louis said resolutely. "I'll bet they want us to start up on the platform, then walk down in the middle of the song."

"This isn't the same as last time," Harry noted, still working his way around the perimeter of the platform. "It's just one platform, not five."

"It's still a surface more than a metre from the floor," Louis countered.

"Do you remember what you promised, Louis?" Harry asked. "Back when I almost fell off the other platform?"

Louis sighed. He hated when his own words came back to bite him in the arse. "I promised we'd discuss anything that came up like this as a band," he recited unhappily.

Harry rounded the front left corner of the platform and, after counting the number of stairs, sat down on them. "So, let's discuss," he suggested.

Louis sighed and moved to sit next to Harry while Zayn, Niall, and Liam lined up in front of them.

"I can climb down five stairs," Harry began the discussion calmly. "Assuming you're right, and that is what they want us to do."

"There's no railing," Louis pointed out, making sure to match Harry's tone.

"We could put Harry in the middle," Liam said reasonably. "And whoever's next to him could help guide him down."

Harry nodded. "That could work. What do you think, Lou?"

"I don't know," he responded honestly.

"Well, the big problem last time was that the platform space was too small with the microphone stand on it, right?" Harry stated.

"Right," Louis agreed.

"Well, that's not the case this time," Harry said. "And if we're coming down the steps, we'll have wireless mics, yeah?"

"Yeah," Zayn jumped into the conversation. "He's right, Louis, this isn't the same as last time."

"Come on, Lou, let him try," Niall urged.

Louis shook his head, resigned. "You're all going to gang up on me, aren't you?"

"Let's try it," Harry requested. "If it doesn't work after a little bit of practise, we get rid of the platform."

"Okay," Louis finally allowed. "Let's give it a shot."

"Thanks, Louis." Harry was beaming, which made relenting completely worth it in Louis' book, no matter what happened.

Savan and Brian finally came on the stage at this point. "Sorry for making you guys wait," Savan said. "Unplanned staff meeting."

"What do you guys think of the set-up?" Brian inquired. "I was thinking you could start out standing on the top of the platform--"

Louis interrupted, knowing what Brian was going to say. "Then walk down the stairs in the middle of the song."

Brian nodded. "Exactly. So, willing to give it a go?"

"Yep," Harry spoke for everyone, rising from the steps, Louis doing the same.

"So," Liam told Brian, "We were thinking we would put Harry in the middle and then one of us could somehow guide him down the stairs with a nice, subtle touch."

Harry chuckled. "I'm not sure it has to be all that subtle, unless you think there's someone watching the show who hasn't figured out I'm blind, and you don't want to spoil them."

The other four boys and Brian laughed. 

"That sounds like a plan," Brian said. "Why were you thinking the middle? So there'd be someone on either side?"

Louis nodded. "That, and nowhere near the edge."

"I had been thinking about that, too," Brian revealed. "And I was thinking maybe we put Harry on one end, but bring in all the dancers to flank the stairs on both sides, kind of make a human railing. And then whoever's on his other side can guide him down."

It only took the boys a few seconds to agree to the plan.

"So, let's get to it," Brian entreated. "Which side of the platform do you want to be on, Harry? Far right or far left, thinking about where those are when you'll be at the top facing the audience?"

"Far left," Harry answered after a brief moment of thought. "I can hold the mic in my left hand and follow whoever's on my right."

"That'll be me," Louis declared. When no one argued with him, he slipped his elbow into Harry's left hand and led him up the stairs. The others followed suit, and Zayn took the middle, with Liam next to him and Niall on the end.

Once they were all situated atop the platform, Brian explained, "I thought it would be most dramatic for you to start to come down the stairs after you sing 'those were the best days of my life.'"

"Okay," the boys chorused.

"Let's try it without mics first," Brian went on. "Why don't you just let Louis guide you like he usually does, Harry, so that I can see how that looks, and decide how to work it for the song?"

Harry nodded and kept a hold of Louis' arm while Brian signaled the band that they were ready to start.

They started off singing on cue and when they got to the part Brian had indicated, they started down the stairs, Harry a little behind Louis, just like usual when going down a flight of stairs. They made it to the bottom without incident and Brian stopped them before they could move downstage, gesturing to the band leader to cut the music.

"That was great," Brian praised them. "But it definitely looks a little odd for Harry to be a step behind you."

"Well, now I know how it feels, I can probably go on my own, maybe keeping a finger on Louis' arm just to ground myself," Harry suggested.

"Sounds good," Brian returned. "Back up you go."

They climbed back up the stairs, and the music started up back at the beginning. When it came the appointed time to move down to the stage, Harry reached with his right index finger to find Louis' arm, but didn't find it straight away. By the time Louis realised and thrust his arm back so Harry was able to brush his wrist, Harry was, again, a step behind all the others.

In his haste to catch up, Harry slipped on a step, then stumbled down the rest, Louis turning to stop the younger boy's forward momentum at the bottom.

"You okay?" Louis asked worriedly, rubbing Harry's upper arm in a way that was, if Louis were honest, more to soothe Louis than it was to soothe Harry.

Harry nodded firmly, quickly regaining his composure. "I'm fine. I just didn't reach for you soon enough."

"Why don't you let Louis cue you first?" Brian proposed. "He can tap your arm when it's time to move, then you can follow him. Would that work?"

"We can give it a shot," Harry said, clearly determined. There was a part of Louis that wanted to plead with Brian that they stop before Harry was hurt, but he knew Harry would find it hard to forgive him if he did that. Therefore, he kept his mouth shut, and just placed his elbow in Harry's hand once again.

When the boys reached the line where they were to make their move this third time, Louis reached over as subtly as he could and tapped Harry's forearm, keeping his finger on Harry as they smoothly moved down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom and Brian signaled the music to stop so he could offer feedback, Harry gave a little jump for joy, making Louis laugh. "It worked, didn't it?" Harry checked.

"It did," Louis confirmed with a grin.

"That looked great, guys. Perfect. Try it one more time. If you make it down again without a problem, keep going. Just walk out about three steps and finish the song," Brian directed. "Savan, any notes?"

"Just a little more energy, boys," Savan requested. "I think you're so busy making sure you're getting down the steps without tripping that you're sucking some of the energy from the song. Try not to lose too much."

The boys all nodded and raced back up the stairs.

The fourth time down went just as well as the third, and the boys were able to move forward this time to finish the song. They were excited enough by getting the choreography that it drove more energy into the song, and Louis saw Savan smiling as they sung their last line.

"That was super, boys," Savan praised. "Much better energy. Brian?"

"Looked good to me," Brian said. "Let's take it through one more time, then try your other song."

Louis was grinning as they made their way once more up the stairs. In the silence precipitated by Liam and Niall pausing for a quick sip of water, he said, "You're doing so great, Haz."

Harry smiled right back at him. "Thanks for not saying we should stop after I tripped. I know you wanted to."

"I didn't," Louis protested, though he wasn't sure he sounded very convincing.

Sure enough, Harry called him out. "Liar."

"Okay, maybe," Louis admitted. "But I had faith you could do it."

Harry's smile widened, halted only by the sound of Niall and Liam stomping up the stairs. At the sound, Harry schooled his features so he would be ready to sing.

By the time they finished practising their second song, they felt confident they'd make it to the semi-final. And make it they did…without a single trip.

* * * 

Monday morning dawned cloudy and gloomy. It was the end of November, and winter was definitely on its way. The week ahead of them would be very busy. In addition to practising two new songs, they would be filming a video for the song which would be their winner's single, should they be the last act standing. On Friday, they had chosen "Forever Young" by Alphaville, to be that song, and had been recorded singing it.

As they were all getting ready to head to the studio for the week's song selection, Louis noticed Harry moving a bit more slowly than usual.

"You okay, Haz?" he asked after Harry had slowly and slightly unsteadily worked his way across the room to his pile of clothes after taking his turn in the washroom.

Harry shrugged. "Just sleepy still. I guess all the long days and late nights are starting to catch up with me. I'll be fine."

"You'll say something if you start to feel unwell, though, won't you?" Louis checked.

"Of course." Harry pulled on a brown sweater. "But I'm fine."

By the time they chose their songs for the semi-final--"Only Girl in the World" and "Chasing Cars"--it was clear that Harry was not anywhere near fine. He was quiet while they made their decision, only speaking up when pressed for a vote, and Louis thought he seemed lethargic, not just sleepy.

When Simon and Savan gave them a break before getting down to work on their new songs, Liam, Niall, and Zayn went to locate some coffee, and Louis addressed his concerns about Harry's health. "Haz, you really don't seem like you're well. Are you sure it's just that you're tired?"

"I'm fine," Harry insisted.

Louis shook his head. "No, I don't think you are. You're really pale, and you're not really acting like your usual self."

"I told you, I'm just tired," Harry repeated.

"No, I think it's more than that, and I am totally going to rat you out to Simon if you don't tell him you don't feel good," Louis threatened.

"It doesn't matter if I'm not feeling good," Harry tried a different tack. "I still have to be here."

Louis reached out to take Harry's hand in his, squeezing. "You are not going to do us any good if you're not feeling well."

"I've already had two sick days, Lou," Harry reminded him softly. "I can't take another one."

"So, I'm right?" Louis inquired just as softly. "You don't feel good?"

It took Harry a moment, presumably to consider his options, but then he finally shook his head. In a whisper, he responded, "No, I don't. I feel horrible. I feel like I haven't slept in days, my head is all fuzzy and achy, and my throat hurts."

"Harry! Why on Earth didn't you say something?" Louis scolded. "That's not anything close to fine."

"I don't want to be a bother," Harry tried to explain, and as he did so, Louis was now able to detect a rasp in Harry's voice. No wonder the younger boy had been quiet all morning.

Louis reached out and grabbed Harry's other hand. This had become their version of total eye contact, and Louis used this move to make sure he had Harry's entire attention. "You could never, ever be a bother. Do you hear me?"

Harry offered a small nod, biting his lip. A tear slid down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

Louis let go of one of Harry's hands and wiped the tear away with his thumb. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't ask to be sick, did you?"

"Of course not," Harry said as if Louis had uttered the most stupid words in the world.

"Come on." Louis stood from his seat and tugged Harry up with the hand he still held. Harry followed readily, and Louis led him to the sofa in the corner, putting Harry's hand on the arm rest. "Lie down, baby. I'm going to go tell Simon we need the doctor."

Harry lay down without argument, and Louis helped him situate a pillow behind his head before kissing him on the forehead, which, now that he got to touch it, was a little bit warm. "Try to rest. I'll be right back."

"Okay," Harry whispered, his eyes drifting shut.

Liam was coming back into the room as Louis was heading out. He immediately spotted Harry lying down and asked, "Is something wrong with Harry?"

Louis nodded sadly. Speaking quietly, he explained, "He's not feeling well. I'm going to find Simon and see if we can get the doctor to take a look at him. Can you keep an eye on him?"

"Of course," Liam agreed. "Go."

It didn't take long to find Simon and fill him in on what was going on with Harry. Simon immediately got on the phone with their on-call doctor. The doctor said he'd be to the studio within the hour.

When Louis returned to their practise room, Liam was sitting in a chair he'd pulled close to the sofa where Harry lay totally passed out. Niall and Zayn were sitting in the broken circle of chairs in the middle of the room, talking in hushed tones.

"How's he doing?" Louis questioned Liam softly.

"He's been asleep since you left," Liam reported.

"Good." Louis sighed. He gestured for Liam to follow him a bit away from the sofa. After Liam obliged, Louis used the opportunity to vent. "He lied to me."

"He did?" Liam seemed genuinely surprised.

"I knew something was wrong this morning, and he told me he was just tired," Louis shared. "But when I pushed him after we picked our songs, he admitted he had a headache and a sore throat. I should have known I was right when we talked first thing this morning."

Liam put a comforting hand on Louis' shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't want you to worry."

Louis shook his head. "No, he didn't want to be a bother. That's what he said."

Liam frowned. "Well, he's being silly, then. And so are you."

Louis shot him a confused look.

"Unless you've been hiding something from us, you're not psychic. If he said he was fine, you had no reason to think any different," Liam pointed out reasonably. "And he told you eventually. The doctor's coming?"

"Yeah. He should be here soon."

"Then I'm sure he'll be right as rain in no time," Liam said confidently.

"I hope so." Louis gazed over in Harry's direction. "I hate to see him feeling so poorly."

Liam urged him over to where Niall and Zayn were and sat him right next to Zayn, dropping into the chair on the other side.

The four boys chatted quietly for the half-hour it took for Simon to escort the doctor in.

Louis rose immediately to face the newcomer. "Hi. Thanks for coming."

The doctor smiled. "I was glad to. You're Louis, right?"

Louis nodded and pointed to each of his bandmates. "Liam, Niall, and Zayn."

The doctor nodded acknowledgement of the introductions. "I'm Dr. McKay. I hear that Mr. Styles isn't feeling well?"

"He said he was feeling like he hadn't slept in a long time, although I know he slept at least some last night. And he said his head was fuzzy and achy and that his throat was sore," Louis listed all the ailments Harry had confessed.

"Hm. Could just be a little cold," the doctor theorised. He glanced over to where his patient lay. "Why don't we wake him up and see what's going on?"

As the doctor moved to go to Harry's side, Louis stopped him with a touch on his arm. "You know he's blind?"

Dr. McKay nodded and smiled comfortingly. "I do."

Louis nodded, then, and walked ahead to crouch so he was eye level with Harry's face. He reached a hand out and ran a hand twice through Harry's fringe. "Hazza? Time to wake up. The doctor's here."

It wasn't more than a second or two before Harry moaned and blinked open his eyes. "Doctor?" he whispered, his voice even rougher than it had been before he'd fallen asleep on the sofa.

The man in question pulled the chair Liam had been using a short while before over and sat right in front of Harry, placing his small black bag at his side. "Hi, Harry. Remember me, Dr. McKay?"

Harry nodded as he struggled to pull himself upright. Louis leapt in to help, and in no time at all, Harry was in a much better position to be examined. "You're the doctor who came to see me when I got sick before the second live show."

"Got it in one," the doctor praised. "Now, I hear you're not feeling very well."

Louis straightened and moved to stand behind the doctor to listen in, Liam, Zayn, and Niall crowding around him to do the same. Simon also stood nearby to hear the verdict.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" Dr. McKay questioned Harry gently, resting a hand on Harry's arm in lieu of the eye contact Louis knew he would normally make with a patient.

"I'm just really tired, even though I slept last night, and my head is all fuzzy, and my throat's sore," Harry relayed, using almost the exact same description he had given to Louis and which Louis had relayed to the doctor moments ago. Louis was relieved there weren't any new symptoms.

"Well, let's take a look at your throat," the doctor said, already opening his bag and removing a tongue depressor. "Open your mouth."

Harry dutifully opened wide, and the doctor pulled out a penlight and, pressing the wooden stick on Harry's tongue, he studied the boy's throat. "Yes, that looks pretty inflamed. I'm not surprised it hurts. Now, let me take your temperature." He reached down and traded the tongue depressor for a thermometer. Harry had closed his mouth while he waited, but when the doctor prodded his mouth with the end of the thermometer, Harry allowed it under his tongue, holding his lips tight around it.

"I'm going to check your ears just to make sure they're not involved here."

Harry nodded his understanding as the doctor pulled an instrument from his bag and then gently put a finger under Harry's chin to turn his head so he could peer first into Harry's left ear, then his right. "Those look fine."

The thermometer beeped a moment later, and Dr. McKay retrieved it from Harry's mouth and regarded it thoughtfully. "Thirty-eight. Slightly elevated, but nothing to be too worried about."

Louis sighed with relief. "So, what is it?" he asked.

"I'm guessing just a small cold," the doctor answered. "Nothing a little rest won't cure."

"Is there anything he can take?" Louis wanted to know.

"He's right here," Harry protested Louis trying to take over.

"Sorry, Haz. Just trying to help."

"I know." Harry returned his attention to the doctor. "So, just rest?"

"Rest is the most important part, yes," Dr. McKay told him. "I also want to prescribe something for your throat, and you can take some paracetemol for the fever, just to keep it from getting higher."

"Okay," Harry agreed.

The doctor continued, "Now, usually when singers get sore throats, I put them on a twenty-four hour period of enforced vocal rest. However, given that it would be a little tricky for you to communicate with a white board or a pad of paper, I'm going to waive that. But you should keep the talking to a minimum and to a bare whisper. This will help ensure you'll be ready to sing tomorrow, all right?"

Harry nodded and whispered, "All right."

Louis was extraordinarily grateful that the doctor was being sensitive to the restraints Harry's blindness imposed. He couldn't imagine himself going twenty-four hours without being allowed to talk, and he would have been able to write what he wanted to say. Harry could have used his iPhone's text messaging feature, Louis supposed, but that could be cumbersome for Harry when he wasn't one hundred percent. Louis was glad that his boyfriend wouldn't need to resort to that.

The doctor pulled out a prescription pad and jotted down some directions on it, then handed it right to Simon. "This is for his throat."

"I'll send a PA to get it filled directly," Simon assured him.

"I'll come back around noon tomorrow to check him and clear him to sing," Dr. McKay stated, beginning to pack his bag back up.

"We'll send him back to the house to rest straight away," Simon said.

"No!" Harry squeaked in a way that Louis thought might hurt, and had, if the look of pain that crossed Harry's features were any indication. He switched to the promised whisper to plead his case. "I don't want to go back to the house. Even if I can't sing, I need to know what's going on here so I can join back in tomorrow. Please? Can't I stay here?"

Louis watched the doctor trade looks with Simon. Simon shrugged and held his hand out to gesture toward Harry in a way that told Dr. McKay it was his call.

Slowly, Dr. McKay asked, "Do you promise to rest here on this sofa?"

"I promise," Harry instantly replied, still dutifully whispering.

"You'll need to take your medicine right on schedule," the doctor warned.

"I will."

"Okay, then, I think it's fine if you stay here, but you need to really take it easy."

"I will," Harry repeated softly.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow." Dr. McKay picked up his bag and stood, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder to bid farewell.

"Thanks," Harry offered with sincerity.

While the doctor moved to have a final word with Simon, Louis moved immediately to Harry, crouching and putting a hand on Harry's knee. "You need to lay back down, Haz."

Harry didn't argue. He just pulled his legs back up onto the sofa and lay his head back down onto the pillow, closing his eyes and sighing.

"What do you need, love?" Louis wanted to know.

"Some tea?" Harry replied in a whisper. "Some paracetemol?"

"You got it," Louis told him, rising back to a standing position. "Now you rest, just like the doctor said."

"I'll go get the tea," Liam proposed.

"I'm sending someone out for the medicine, and I'll have someone bring some paracetemol," Simon put in. "You boys have fifteen minutes to get Harry settled, then we're starting work on your song. Okay?"

Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn all murmured their agreement, then Simon strode from the room. Liam excused himself to go find some tea for the ill one, while Louis, Niall, and Zayn hovered near Harry, unsure of what to do. So they ended up just watching Harry making himself as comfortable as he could on the sofa.

A few minutes later, Abby, a PA, appeared with a bottle of water, some paracetemol, and a blanket she'd scrounged up from somewhere. Louis took everything from her and thanked her profusely.

"Haz?" Louis called quietly. "Abby brought some paracetemol and water. Can you sit back up long enough to take it?"

Harry nodded and lifted himself up to a seated position before holding out his hands for the water and the medicine. Louis dropped two pills into one of the hands and placed the water bottle in the other. Harry threw the pills in his mouth, then uncapped the bottle to take a swig of water to wash them down. He took a couple more sips of water, then capped it and handed it back to Louis.

Liam reappeared at that moment, a mug in hand. "Stay up, Haz. I have your tea."

Harry obligingly stayed upright, though he scooted backwards until he could lean back on the pillow he'd been using. With anticipation, then, he held out his hands for the tea, which Liam passed over, cautioning, "Be careful. It's hot."

Harry nodded, bringing it slowly to his lips for a sip. "Mmm. You even put in honey," he whispered. "You are now my favourite, Li."

"Hey!" Louis protested, though he was mostly joking.

"Well, did you bring me tea with honey?" Harry joked back, still keeping his voice low.

"I would have," Louis insisted.

Harry smiled indulgently. "Okay, then, he's my favourite non-boyfriend. You are still my favourite boyfriend."

Louis smiled back. "And you are talking too much, even if you are remembering to whisper. You need to be quiet and save your voice."

Harry nodded and brought the mug up to his lips for another sip of tea, then another, then another, before he held out the mug for someone to take. Louis obliged. "I'm going to put it on the table next to the sofa, just behind you, in case you want more."

"Okay," Harry whispered.

"You cold?" Louis inquired. "Abby brought a blanket."

Harry nodded again and scooched his bum back down so he could rest his head on the pillow. When he was settled, Louis covered him with the blanket. "That good?"

Harry murmured a "yes" and closed his eyes once more.

"We'll just be here practising, okay? If you need anything, let us know, okay?" Louis urged.

Harry nodded yet again, then snuggled down under the blanket, getting comfortable.

Simon and Savan returned minutes later and after checking on how Harry was--the answer being "asleep"--got the four not-sick boys back into a circle and passed out lyric sheets.

"The Braille ones should be ready by lunch, so Harry can study the words later this afternoon," Savan told Louis. Savan had found someone named Carrie whose day job was assisting and translating materials into Braille for blind students at a nearby primary school. She had agreed to come over to the studio on Mondays just before lunch to Braille lyric sheets for Harry. Harry and Louis had met her a few times. She was very sweet and told them she was voting for them every week. In return for all her help, Harry had promised that once they were done with The X-Factor they would come by the school to meet with some of the kids there. She had told him the kids would love that--Harry was their hero.

"Thanks, Savan," Louis told him sincerely.

For the next couple hours, the boys ran through both their songs several times. As they usually did on Mondays, they started to try to figure out who would sing what part. This time, they had to guess which part would suit Harry best. They picked a nice solo in "Chasing Cars" for him, but decided Liam and Zayn would handle the solos in "Only Girl in the World."

About an hour into their practise, Abby came back to the room, this time bearing a pharmacy bag. She walked over and handed it to Louis with a spoon. "The directions say he needs to take it every four hours or so."

Louis nodded. "Thanks." He turned to Savan. "Can I have a minute just to get him to take this?"

"Sure," Savan replied. "Let's all take five."

"Loo break!" Niall exclaimed, rushing from the room.

Louis made his way over to the sofa and crouched once again by Harry's head. Reaching out to run a hand through the unruly curls covering Harry's forehead, Louis called, "Haz? Hazza? Can you wake up?"

Harry let out a little whine, but he pushed the blanket back a little bit to whisper, "What?"

"I have the medicine for your throat," Louis told him. "Can you sit up and take some?"

Harry opened his eyes, nodded, and pushed himself upright. When Harry was still, Louis pulled the medicine from the bag and read the directions. "You have to take two spoonfuls. It says it's cherry flavored."

Harry snorted derisively.

"Yeah, I'll bet it doesn't taste anything like cherries," Louis concurred. "But hopefully it will help your throat."

"I hope so," Harry said softly.

Louis uncapped the bottle and carefully poured some medicine into the spoon. "Open wide," he directed.

Harry opened his mouth to accept the spoon, grimacing as he got a taste.

"Gross?" Louis checked.

Harry nodded.

"I'm sorry. Just one more."

Harry took the second spoonful like a champion.

"Do you think you can sleep more?" Louis asked as he screwed the cap back on the syrup and set it on the table behind Harry right next to the mug of cold tea.

Harry shook his head. "I want to listen to you guys practise."

"Okay." Louis went on to inform him, "We think there's a great solo for you in 'Chasing Cars.' Niall's going to sing it for you until tomorrow, so listen for it."

Harry nodded. 

Speaking of the devil, Niall raced back in the room to reclaim his spot around the piano. "Back!" he announced unnecessarily.

Louis rested a hand on Harry's leg. "Need anything else before I get back to it?"

"Water?"

Louis had left the bottle of water Harry had used to take his pills on the coffee table. He retrieved it and placed it against Harry's hand so he would know it was there. Harry took it with a small smile. "Thanks."

Louis pressed a kiss to Harry's head before returning to the piano.

Every once in a while, while they were singing, Louis gazed over in Harry's direction to find him listening intently to what they were doing.

By the time they broke for lunch, it was clear that Harry was again pretty drowsy. While the other boys went ahead to the lunch room, Louis insinuated himself in a spot left on the sofa right beside Harry.

"You're not going to like what I have to say, Haz," he opened.

Harry frowned, but didn't utter any pleas for Louis not to say anything.

"We have no group rehearsal this week, since we have no group number, right?"

Harry nodded warily.

"This afternoon, we'll rehearse our two songs a little bit more, then do a couple of interviews about making it to the semi-final," Louis recalled their schedule for the rest of the day.

Harry nodded again.

"We'll have to do those individually, anyhow, since you can't be there for that."

"I could sit there and just not say anything," Harry suggested weakly. The look on his face, however, told Louis that Harry knew that wasn't going to happen.

Louis confirmed that. "Simon would never let you do that."

Harry pouted in a way that was more adorable than anything else. Louis reached out and ran the back of his index finger down Harry's cheek. "You're going to be better by tomorrow. And you'll jump right back into everything."

Harry sighed, but nodded his understanding. "But…?" He clearly knew Louis wasn't done.

"But, I think you should go back to the house now and sleep." When Harry opened his mouth to protest, Louis quickly went on. "To make sure you're ready to sing again tomorrow."

"But…." Harry began again, but then he cut himself off. Louis figured he couldn't think of a good enough comeback.

"I know you'd prefer to be here, and I'd love for you to be here, too, but I'm worried you won't get well in time if you're here. I think you should go back to the house," Louis proposed. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he held his breath.

Harry's shoulders sagged. Surprisingly, he didn't try to argue any further. Instead, he simply whispered, "Okay."

"You'll go?"

Harry nodded. Quietly, he confessed, "I still feel pretty lousy."

"Do you think you could eat something first?" Harry hadn't really touched breakfast, and Louis knew he'd pass out the minute he got back to the house. He hated for him to go all the way to dinner without any food.

"Maybe something like soup," Harry allowed.

"They always have something like that available. Let's go get you some, then we'll call for the car."

Harry pushed the blanket away and stood up, while Louis plucked his cane from the side table. After he handed it to Harry, Harry stuffed it in his back pocket. Louis collected the two bottles of medicine and the spoon and shoved them all inside the white pharmacy bag to hand to whoever was made responsible for seeing Harry home. Then he gave Harry his elbow. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Harry was moving a little more slowly than usual, but they eventually made it to their table in the dining area. Louis sat Harry in his seat, then went to get food for the both of them. He returned with a sandwich and crisps for himself and some chicken broth and tea for Harry, figuring those would be easy for Harry to just sip down.

As Louis scarfed down his lunch--he was starving--he monitored Harry's progress. Harry managed to get down about three-quarters of the soup and all the tea. Good enough.

When all the boys were done, Louis informed Liam, Zayn, and Niall that Harry was going to rest at home for the rest of the afternoon. The three all offered Harry get well wishes, then Louis found Liesel, who said she could both summon the car to take Harry home and go with him.

Louis waited with Harry and Liesel until the car came, and he used the time to hand over Harry's medication and tell Liesel when he had last taken each one so she'd know when to let him have another dose.

When the car came, Louis reluctantly passed Harry's hand to Liesel's elbow, but not before kissing Harry on the temple. "I'll be back to the house as soon as I can, okay?"

Harry nodded. Louis decided it was good he'd agreed to go back to the house, since his energy seemed almost completely gone.

"Feel better, baby," he whispered in Harry's ear.

"Thanks," Harry whispered back. Then he followed Liesel into the car.

The rest of the afternoon moved at what seemed a snail's pace to Louis. They practised their songs more, then they were split up to do first some press for media outside the show, then some interviews for _The X-Factor_ to splice into both the live and results shows.

By the time they were done with everything at the studio and had gone over their schedule for the following day, it was getting dark outside. Their other housemates wanted to go bowling, and Niall, Liam, and Zayn went along, but Louis was itching to get back to the house to check on Harry, so he declined.

While the rest of his housemates climbed into cars to head to a bowling alley, Louis climbed into the car which would take him back to the house. The drive back seemed inexplicably longer than it should have been, but eventually, they pulled up in front of the house. It was a tough decision, but Louis did let the driver stop the car before he jumped out to make for the house.

When he stepped into the front room, he found Liesel reading something on her tablet on one sofa and Harry sleeping all curled up under a duvet on another.

"Hi," Louis whispered to Liesel.

She waved and then pointed a finger toward the kitchen, indicating that they could talk without bothering Harry in there. Louis dropped his bag just inside the door and followed her readily. Louis grabbed each of them a bottle of water, and then they sat down at the table, Louis at the end, Liesel to his right.

"He didn't want to sleep upstairs?" Louis wondered aloud.

"He tried," Liesel told him, "but he came back down with his duvet and said he couldn't sleep in his bed, could he try the sofa. He's been out like a light ever since."

"Did he take his second dose of medicines?"

Liesel nodded, taking a sip of water. "I woke him around half-three and he took them, so he'll be ready for more around half-seven."

Louis checked the time on his phone. The digital display told him it was nearing six. "Got it."

"I took his temperature when he was up for the medicine, and it seemed normal, but I'd keep giving him the paracetemol until tomorrow morning, just in case," Liesel suggested.

Louis nodded. "That makes sense."

"Everything's out on the coffee table," she added before asking, "You need me to stay longer? I can if you want."

Louis shook his head now. "No, I think I can take it from here. Thanks so much for staying with him."

"Not a problem. He's a sweetheart. And once he fell asleep, I got to catch up with my book, so that was nice," Liesel admitted. "I hope he's feeling better by tomorrow."

"Me, too."

Liesel pushed her chair back. "I guess I'll head out now."

Louis stood in tandem with her. "Thanks again for helping out."

"My pleasure. I only wish it hadn't been necessary."

"Me, too," Louis repeated before walking her back to the front room. She grabbed her things, and he showed her out.

Once she was gone, Louis decided to let Harry sleep until he woke up naturally, especially since he didn't have to take another dose of his medicine for more than an hour and a half.

To pass the time, Louis ran upstairs to grab his laptop and headphones. He could play around on the internet until Harry was awake. It had been a while since he'd done a vanity Google search, after all.

Harry slept for another solid hour. Louis was in the middle of watching some of their _X-Factor_ performances on YouTube when the sound of Harry's voice overtook the music in his ears. He was glad he'd kept the volume low so he didn't miss Harry waking up.

"Liesel?" Harry checked, pulling himself up to a seated position. "You here?" His voice was still a little rough, but that could just have been from sleeping.

Louis pulled out his earbuds immediately and set his laptop aside. "It's me now," he told Harry softly. "How're you feeling, love?"

A small smile arranged itself on Harry's face at waking up to find Louis home. He remembered to whisper when he answered, "A little better, I guess."

"That's good. And in less than an hour, you get to take some more medicine."

"Joy," Harry commented dryly. After a moment, he went on to ask, "It's so quiet. Is everyone home? What time is it?"

"It's a little after seven, and it's just me. The others all went bowling," Louis reported.

Harry frowned. "You could have gone."

"Not without you," Louis was quick to counter.

"I can't imagine I'd be very good at bowling," Harry softly lamented.

"You've never been?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

"We should go sometime. It's fun, and it doesn't matter if you suck. I'm not really good at it, either," Louis confided.

Harry shrugged. "Sure."

After a beat, Louis stated, "Liesel said you couldn't fall asleep upstairs. Why not?"

Louis watched a blush creep up Harry's cheeks as he explained, "Because you weren't there."

Louis smiled gently. "I'm not sure I'd have been able to sleep there alone either."

"How was the rest of the day?" Harry wanted to know.

"It was okay," Louis replied. "But it's just not the same without you there."

Harry smiled in acknowledgment of the compliment.

"Oh! We get to go to another premiere tomorrow night," Louis remembered the invitation they'd received just before wrapping the day's work.

"We do?"

"Yep. The new _Narnia_ movie. It's at the same theatre as _Harry Potter_ , and they'll apparently have the same descriptive video set-up for you."

"Cool." Harry slouched back onto the couch, pulling the duvet up around him again, though he didn't move to lay back down.

"Still sleepy?" Louis asked. "I can give you the meds in a half an hour, but you could nap some more until then."

Harry shook his head. "Not sleepy. Cold."

"Would you like some tea?"

Harry nodded.

"I'll go make some. Be right back." Louis stood and headed into the kitchen and put the kettle on before finding two mugs and some teabags.

It wasn't long before he'd prepared tea for both of them, adding a healthy dose of honey to Harry's, remembering how soothing Harry had found that earlier in the day. He carried the mugs out to the front room and put his own down on the coffee table, then turned to Harry with his. "Here. Be careful. It's hot."

Harry reached out from under the duvet, and Louis made sure the first part of the mug to touch Harry's hand was the handle, as always. Once Harry had a hold of it, Louis cleared the duvet from a space on the sofa so he could sit next to his boyfriend.

They sipped at their tea in amiable silence for a few minutes. Louis checked his phone and noticed it was time to give Harry his next dose of medicine. "It's past half seven, Haz. Time for meds. Which do you want first, the paracetemol or the syrup?"

"Paracetemol."

Louis grabbed the pill bottle and the water bottle from where Liesel had left them. He took Harry's mug, trading it for the water. He then handed over two pills, which Harry swallowed readily. When it was time for the syrup, Harry grimaced, but he didn't protest. Once Harry was all medicated, Louis passed him back his tea.

While they finished off the last of their drinks, Louis checked his phone, noting a text from Niall saying they wouldn't be home any time soon. They were bowling another game or two, then getting dinner out. Louis relayed this information to Harry. "It sucks that we're all alone in the house, and you're not feeling well."

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "Sorry about that."

"Not your fault. There'll be other times, especially once we have a flat all to ourselves," Louis assured him. "Any ideas for right now, though? Anything a little less…strenuous?"

Harry took a moment to think about his options. "Play cards?"

"Works for me. I'll go grab them."

Louis raced up the stairs and into their bedroom. Harry had brought a couple decks of Braille playing cards with him, and they had used them several times since moving into the _X-Factor_ house. They were stored in a corner of Harry's window sill. Louis grabbed a deck and headed back downstairs.

As he settled back on the sofa next to Harry, he inquired, "What do you want to play?"

"Gin rummy?"

"Sounds good." Louis helped Harry smooth down the duvet so there was a space for them to play without Harry having to move off the sofa and completely out from under the cocoon of warmth he'd formed around him. He kept it secured around his middle as he crossed his legs under him to face Louis for the game.

They played cards for a good hour before it was clear to Louis that Harry was starting to fade. "I think it's time for you to try some more sleep," he noted at the end of their third game, already collecting the cards to put them back in place.

Harry merely nodded.

"Do you want to sleep here or back upstairs?"

"Will you lay down with me upstairs?" Harry asked in a soft, shy voice.

Louis put the last of the cards back into the box and then touched Harry's hand lightly. "Of course. I'll bring the cards and the medicine, you bring the duvet."

Harry haphazardly folded the duvet to carry under one arm so he could navigate with the other. He stood and oriented himself by bending over to run his hand along the sofa until he found the end. After he straightened, he made a hard right and then headed unerringly for the stairs. Stopping only to pick up Harry's medicine, Louis followed closely behind. As ever, he was incredibly impressed with just how well Harry got around once he knew a place. He'd memorised the layout of the _X-Factor_ house in a matter of just a few days.

When they made it upstairs, Harry needed a quick detour to the washroom, thrusting the duvet in Louis' direction before he grabbed some nightclothes and exited the room again. Louis went straight to the bedroom, placed the medicine and cards on the window sill, and spread the duvet back out on their shared bed. Then he quickly shucked his jeans and sweater and pulled on a pair of grey pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt.

It wasn't long after that when Harry reappeared in the doorway. Louis couldn’t help but think he was adorable in his red plaid pyjama bottoms and navy t-shirt. "All clear?" Harry checked.

Louis did a quick scan of the floor from his perch at the end of their bed. "All clear. You may proceed across."

Harry smiled at Louis' formality as he walked across to the bed.

Once Harry made it to the bed, Louis rose up from it. "My turn. Be right back."

Louis dashed to and from the washroom in what might have been record time. When he returned to the bedroom, Harry had already crawled under the duvet. Louis shut off the bedroom lights, then clambered into bed, sliding into his usual spot behind Harry, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and pulling him in until Harry's back was flush against Louis' chest.

"Louis?" Harry whispered into the quiet dark of the room.

"Hm?" Louis murmured into Harry's curls.

"Tell me a story?"

Louis laughed. "What are you, five?" he teased gently.

"I'm sick," Harry whined.

"Okay. Fair enough," Louis allowed. Like he would have denied Harry anything. "Let me think a minute."

Harry snuggled back against Louis while Louis thought about just what he wanted to say. Finally, he figured it out. "I'm going to tell you a story about falling in love."

"Mmm…romance. I love a good romance," Harry commented warmly.

"Shh. You're supposed to be resting your voice," Louis reminded him. "It's my turn to talk."

"Okay," Harry agreed.

Louis made sure they were both comfortable before he began. "Okay. Once there was a boy. He was a pretty normal boy. Went to school, played football with his friends, acted in some school plays. He even had a girlfriend. But something was missing.

"He didn't think he loved his girlfriend the way he should. He liked her well enough, but he didn't feel the same way about her that his mates did about their girlfriends. He worried that she wasn't really what he wanted.

"Then one day he met a boy. A boy with gorgeous brown curls and a beautiful smile. And he knew right then and there that that was what he wanted. He wanted that boy to be his."

"Louis…?" Harry started curiously, but Louis reached a finger up to cover Harry's lips.

"Shh. I'm not done."

Harry nodded, letting Louis know he could continue.

"Their first meeting didn't last very long, but the boy fell head over heels right away. He went home and talked to his girlfriend, and they decided that they would be better off just being friends. Even if the boy he'd met didn't want him, it felt like the right thing to do.

"He spent the next few weeks doing nothing but think about this boy he'd met, hoping it wouldn't be too long before he saw him again. Then, he finally did. And the boy with the curls was just as wonderful as he'd remembered. They went to lunch and started to get to know each other, and the boy fell more and more in love with the curly-headed boy every moment they spent together."

Louis paused for a moment, then asked, "You still with me?" He didn't think Harry had fallen asleep, but wanted to check.

"Yes," Harry whispered so softly Louis barely heard him.

"Good." Louis squeezed him tightly. "I'll go on.

"So, the boy got even luckier. He and the curly-headed boy were put on a project together, and this meant that they got to spend even more time together. But the boy wasn't sure that the curly headed boy felt the same way about him. He was so nervous. He couldn't imagine being with anyone else, and he wanted the curly-headed boy to feel the same way."

"Why?" Harry interjected on an exhale.

"Why did he hope the curly-headed boy felt the same way?" Louis clarified.

Louis felt Harry's nod of confirmation.

"Because the curly headed boy was so amazing," Louis answered with a smile he hoped was conveyed in his words. "He was kind, he was funny, he was sweet. He was incredibly talented and absolutely gorgeous. And he had overcome some pretty serious challenges to get where he was."

"What kind of challenges?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Well, as it happens, the curly-headed boy was blind." Louis paused for just a beat before continuing. "But it didn't matter any. It meant that he judged people for who they were, not what they looked like. It meant that he worked twice as hard to do things sighted people do without thinking about, and he never complained. It only made the boy love him more.

"And then you know what happened?"

This time, Louis felt the shake of Harry's head.

"The boy found out the curly-headed boy felt the same way."

They both lay silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

It was Harry who disturbed the silence first. "The curly-headed boy fell pretty quickly, too," he revealed softly.

"Did he now?"

"He did," Harry told him definitively.

"Well, when the curly-headed boy is feeling better, he can tell me all about it," Louis promised, pressing a kiss to the back of Harry's head. "Now, though, you need to rest. We have a video shoot in the morning."

"We do?" Harry's whisper was filled with surprise.

"We do. Damn, I was so excited to tell you about the _Narnia_ premiere, I forgot to tell you about the video shoot. Sorry. It's for 'Forever Young.' You know, in case we win," Louis explained.

"Oh."

Louis added, "We were supposed to go to film tomorrow afternoon, but they switched it, since you won't need to sing at the shoot, and Dr. McKay won't clear you until the afternoon. We'll practise our songs after that."

"Okay. Sounds good."

"So, think you can sleep now?"

"Can you talk to me some more?" Harry requested sweetly.

"Sure," Louis agreed easily. "What about?"

"Anything."

Louis contemplated his options, finally settling on one of the first things that came to mind. "So, as lovely as this little room is with all five of us shoved into it, I can't wait until you and I have our own place."

"Mmm," Harry murmured his agreement.

"For one thing, we can get a big bed and not have to squeeze your growing arse into this one anymore," Louis teased. Harry was growing like a weed, still, and had grown a couple inches just since they'd met back at the auditions.

Harry chuckled, not offended at all.

"We can get a flat really close to everything, so we don't have to take a car or the tube to get groceries. Maybe we should get something close to a park, so there's someplace to go and hang out when it's nice outside. And, of course, there should be enough room in the flat for us to have company over.

"The flat should be easy to get around, and I think it should also have a fireplace. There's nothing like sitting in front of the fire on a night like tonight, when it's freezing cold and you know winter isn't far away.

"It would be nice if the flat had a balcony to sit on. I always imagined waking up in the summer and taking my morning cup of tea out to the balcony and just sitting and sorting out all the things I had to do that day in my head."

A movement in the doorway caught Louis' eye at this point in his rambling, and he gently eased his right arm out from where it was under Harry so he could prop himself up. The light had been turned on in the hallway and Liam was standing quietly in the doorway. Liam pointed to Harry and put his hands together to mime someone sleeping, then raised his eyebrows quizzically.

Louis paused to listen, and sure enough, Harry's breathing had become even and deep. He couldn't have been asleep long, but he was definitely out. Louis nodded at Liam, and Liam nodded back. He turned to look at someone who wasn't in Louis' line of vision--most likely Zayn and Niall, and he put a finger to his lips to let them know they needed to be silent.

Louis watched, then, as his bandmates tiptoed into the room to get ready for bed. Louis did gesture to remind Liam that he could turn on the light. It wouldn't wake Harry if he did. Louis watched for a moment as the boys padded around the room as silently as they could, his heart filled with joy at getting to be a part of all of this. To have the curly-headed boy in his arms and these other three boys he'd grown to love surrounding him was more than he could ever have hoped for.

Laying his head back down on his pillow, Louis closed his eyes and listened to the rustle of clothing coming off and on and the footsteps of his friends moving out into the hall and back again, feeling just for a moment like he was experiencing the world the way Harry did. He fell asleep to all these sounds, not able to even imagine being any happier than he was.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The X-Factor_ Live Shows: Week 8, Part 2 (of 2), Week 9  & Week 10, Part 1 (of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to each one of you following this story. Particular thanks to those people who are leaving comments on individual chapters. It helps motivate my writing in general, and the specific feedback is lovely.
> 
> Just one more chapter to go after this one....
> 
> On with today's busy slice of story....

When they woke in the morning, Harry felt immeasurably better. Apparently, the combination of talking a little less and the extra sleep did the trick. His energy was just as high as the other boys' as they piled into the car which would take them to the "Forever Young" video shoot.

In a surprise twist, Cheryl Cole was waiting for them in the car. She explained that Simon had fallen ill, and she would be helping them out until Simon was feeling better. Harry expressed instant concern that Simon had caught whatever bug Harry had had the day before, but Cheryl assured him that it appeared to be a bug of a different nature, and Harry was not to worry.

Cheryl further explained that the video shoot would be taking place at an unused secondary school. They wanted to literally be somewhere the "young" are, and would be using various locations around the property for the video.

The boys were both excited and nervous. They'd, of course, been filmed many times performing, and they'd given more interviews on camera than they could count anymore. They'd even started to get used to being photographed everywhere they went, even if it was weird and they still felt unworthy of quite the attention they garnered. But this would be their very first music video shoot and, if they won, it would be the first "product" they put out into the world, along with their single.

The school was not far away, and it was still early when they arrived. The place was already teeming with people, though, carrying in video equipment and securing the location. The boys climbed out and took a look around their workplace for the day.

"Is it a big school?" Harry asked. He already held tight to Louis' arm, and Louis knew he was a little anxious being at a new place. It wasn't the first time he'd seen the slightly tense look on Harry's face.

"Not too big," Louis responded. He turned to Cheryl. "Do we have time to walk around?"

Cheryl nodded. "Don't take too long. We need to get started shortly, since we only have the school until one."

"Gotcha," Louis confirmed. "C'mon, lads, let's explore."

They made a quick circuit of the school, giving Harry an opportunity to assess the scale of the building and all of them a chance to learn where the important rooms were. When they were done, they were herded into the gymnasium to meet the director of the video.

The director was an older man, probably in his late thirties, dressed in jeans, a plain black sweater, and a snapback. He introduced himself as Toby Nicholls and brusquely shook each of the boys' hands before immediately jumping into an explanation of his vision for the video.

"I thought we would have you all sing the song in various rooms around the school, then we can film you doing youthful things for background," Toby told them.

Toby was the professional, so, assuming he knew what he was doing, the boys all nodded.

"Great! Let's get started! We have no time to waste. Wardrobe and make-up are just down the hall. Go!" he ordered.

The boys were shuttled down the hall to a large room that must at one time have been a classroom. There, some of the _X-Factor_ wardrobe and make-up people they knew were convened.

In no time at all, the boys were outfitted in various combinations of jeans, oxford shirts, and school uniform jackets and ties, and the make-up people had done their faces and hair for the camera. They were sent back to the gymnasium to start work.

Toby gave them a once-over when they came into the gym and nodded his approval. "We'll start in here. We'll run through the song a few times in a couple different locations in the building. That can be spliced together with the action footage."

Harry's hand tightened on Louis' arm at the word "action." "What do you think he means by 'action?'" he whispered, leaning toward Louis.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Louis whispered back.

Toby had them stand in a line to lip sync through the song once, just, he said, to see who sang what and to get an idea of how it could be choreographed. The vocal track came on, and the boys mimed their way through it, though they had never lip synched before.

"Well, that'll need some work," Toby commented when they were done. "I think you should kind of move in a formation while you sing. The two who share the first verse in the front before moving back into the line for you to all sing together, then the same thing for the second verse."

"So, that's me and Harry to start, then Niall and Harry," Liam noted. Looking at Toby, he asked, "How do you want us to cue Harry?" Since the very beginning, the choreographers and directors had worked with the band to help figure out the best ways to keep Harry informed about where he needed to be without those ways being too obvious to the camera.

Toby shook his head dismissively, already turning to talk to one of the camera men. "You boys figure it out. Quickly."

This was Louis' first inkling that he might have been wrong, and this would not be fine.

The boys were completely flummoxed by being left to their own devices, but Liam went ahead and took the lead and suggested that they start with Liam and Harry up front, where Liam would cue Harry to move back when it was time. When they were singing all together, they could stand with Zayn and Louis at either end, then Niall next to Zayn, Liam in the middle, and Harry next to Louis. Louis could cue Harry to move forward with Niall. Finally, it would be Niall's job to cue Harry to move back for the final chorus.

Toby was tapping his foot impatiently during the entirety of the time it took them to figure out how to work their movements during the song. When they indicated they were ready, he growled, "It's about time. Let's get to it."

Louis felt ire rising in his chest, but tamped it down, though he sensed that the hackles of his bandmates had been raised, too. They were not in a position to make waves at this point, so they would just have to power through this.

They ran through the song with the choreography they'd done there on the fly, and then awaited Toby's reaction. He frowned as he said, "Are you sure you have to touch him like that to make sure he moves on time?"

"Yes," Liam, de facto leader, replied, clearly bristling--as Louis was--at the way Toby was referring to Harry.

"I can try it without," Harry put in.

Louis knew Harry wanted to cause as little trouble as possible, but this was ridiculous. "No, Haz," he told him. "It's fine." He fixed Toby with a stare and dared him to argue this point further.

Toby chose not to. Instead, he just nodded and ordered everyone to run it through one more time.

Once that was done, Toby declared it good enough, then gave everyone a fifteen minute break for the gymnasium to be set up the way he wanted for the next shots.

The boys went with Cheryl in search of coffee and tea, finding it at the small craft service cart the studio had provided.

"Toby seems…intense," Liam said carefully as he blew on his coffee to cool it before drinking.

"He can be," Cheryl admitted. "But he's good. He's worked with us before, but this is the first time he's worked with a group. Hang in there, lads." She walked off to consult with an assistant before they had to get back to work.

"Haz," Louis said, sipping at his tea. "You don't have to make things easier for him, yeah?"

Harry shrugged. "Do you think it looked bad, though, you guys cueing me?"

"No," Louis scoffed. "I think he's just an arse."

"Louis…." Liam warned.

"Well, Li, he kind of is," Louis countered.

"Whether he is or not, we still have to do this. He's the person Simon hired to direct this," Liam reminded him reasonably.

Louis sighed wearily. "Fine."

"But Louis' right, Haz. Just like always, we do what makes things work for you, no matter what he says," Liam told him. "Okay?"

Harry nodded his agreement.

"Good," Louis stated.

When they returned to the gymnasium after a quick trip back to make-up and a visit to the loo, the boys came to a standstill in the doorway. The gym had been transformed. Ropes had been lowered. Rings came down from the ceiling. Vaults and a balance beam jutted out from the wall. And in the centre of the room, a small obstacle course had been set up made up of traffic cones and tires.

Toby gestured them in. "Come on, come on. No time to waste."

As they walked over to where Toby stood just next to the obstacle course, Louis whispered to Harry what had happened to the room in their absence. Louis watched and felt Harry stiffen at the description, no doubt worried about what they were going to be asked to do next.

"We're just going to have you boys tackle each of the pieces of equipment one at a time and film it," Toby explained. "Try to have fun. I think this will look great in the video."

All five members of the band just stood there, four of them looking around at all the equipment, one of them busy losing every drop of blood he had in his face.

Liam again spoke for the group. "Um, Toby?"

Toby regarded him quizzically, arms crossed forebodingly, eyebrows raised. "Yes?"

There was no other way to put it than the way Liam did. "Harry's blind."

Louis couldn't keep himself from sarcastically adding, "Or did you not notice?"

Toby's response was, simply, "So?"

Ever the people pleaser, Harry offered, "I can try some of it."

"So, which will you be doing first?" Louis asked, though his gaze was firmly on Toby as he spoke. "The obstacle course or the balance beam?"

Harry coloured immediately at Louis' words, though Louis was happy to sense that Harry understood that the words weren't intended for him, but rather for their director.

Toby, apparently, could not take a hint. "He said he'd try. Don't baby him. Let him try."

"It's okay, Lou," Harry hurried to assure him. "I didn't skip all of gym at school. Surely I can do some of this."

Louis hauled in a deep breath. Of Toby, he inquired, "Can I have a minute to walk him around first?"

Toby sighed, exasperated. "Make it quick. We don't have all day."

"You'll want your cane," Louis told Harry. "The obstacle course and the balance beam are low to the ground."

Harry withdrew his cane from his back pocket and stretched it out in front of him before taking Louis' elbow again.

Louis walked him in a circle around the room, starting at the ropes and ending at the vaults. Paying no mind to Toby's orders, he gave Harry ample time to feel everything and get a sense for what they were up against.

When they returned to where Zayn, Liam, and Niall were chatting with Cheryl and Toby was pacing a hole in the floor, Toby asked, "Are you ready now? We're bleeding time here."

"Where do you feel comfortable starting, Harry?" Liam wondered aloud.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the ropes?"

"The ropes," Liam repeated, locking gazes with Toby.

"Fine." Toby directed the camera men to prepare to shoot the boys on the ropes.

Harry gave his cane to Cheryl for safekeeping, then Louis and Harry led the way to the ropes. "Have you ever done anything like this before, Haz?" Louis inquired.

"I have tried climbing ropes before. I wasn't very good at it," Harry confided.

"Well, you just do your best. No pressure."

Harry nodded as Louis put Harry's hand on the rope right in the middle. Liam instinctively took the one on Harry's left as Louis took the one on Harry's right. Niall and Zayn took the two on the end.

As soon as Toby told them to go, they all got a good grip on their ropes. Niall shimmied up his in no time, and Zayn made steady progress from the start. Harry moved really slowly, though, clearly struggling to make his way up the rope. Consequently, Liam and Louis also moved slowly, not wanting to get too far ahead of Harry, in case he needed help.

Harry had made it over a quarter of the way up and was closing in on the middle--Liam and Louis just above him--when Toby yelled, "Cut!"

One Direction slid as one to the floor. Louis thought Harry looked plenty relieved to be back on solid ground. Louis offered his elbow right away, and if he wasn't mistaken, Harry's hand shook as he took Louis' arm.

Toby offered a couple notes. "Well, you boys didn't look like the strongest guys out there, but we probably got some stuff we can use."

"So we can move on?" Niall assumed.

Toby nodded his assent.

"What next, Hazza?" Niall inquired.

Harry bit his lip as he took a moment to think. "Balance beam?"

"Okay, then. Balance beam it is." Niall led the way to where two balance beams came out of the wall. They rose about a foot from the floor.

"You okay?" Louis whispered to Harry.

Harry nodded, but Louis was not entirely convinced.

While the camera men set up around the beams, they decided to let Harry go first on one of the beams. Zayn would try the other. Louis led Harry to the end of the beam by the wall, then bent them down so Harry could get his hands on the beam to orient himself before he tried to walk along it.

When Toby said, "Go," Zayn started walking along his beam. Though he wobbled a little, he managed to stay atop his beam with just a little effort.

Harry was a different story. He managed to get up on the beam, but staying up on it proved to be a serious challenge. He'd make it a step, maybe two, then tumble off. It was a process finding the beam again, then the cycle would repeat. It absolutely pained Louis to watch.

While Niall took his turn, Louis turned to where Toby stood. "Can I help him?"

Toby shook his head. "That would look ridiculous. No."

Louis felt his blood boil as he watched Harry become more and more frustrated by the second, though he kept at it long after Louis would have given up, had Louis been in Harry's shoes.

After Liam took his turn, Toby said, "Now you, Louis."

Reluctantly, Louis went to walk across the second beam. He fell off a couple times as he made his way from one end to the other, but it had nothing to do with balance and everything to do with the fact that most of his attention remained on Harry. Who still seemed bound and determined to try to make it across the beam like the rest of the band had.

Once Louis made it to the end of his beam--jumping off hastily; he'd get no Olympic points for his landing--he was able to return his full attention to Harry.

Harry, unfortunately, also had Toby's full attention. "Good God, Harry, it's a straight line. What on Earth is the problem?" he snapped, speaking both more harshly and with more volume than was necessary.

Whether it was just another slip or a reaction to the unsympathetic words, Louis didn't know, but right after Toby's outburst, Harry fell off the beam again, this time with a sob. He did not get back up on the beam for another try. Instead, he sank to the floor and backed up until he hit the wall, insinuating himself in the corner created by the beam. Louis could tell Harry was trying not to cry--and failing.

"That's it? You're giving up?" Toby asked, literally throwing his hands up in irritation.

Louis had had enough. Swiveling on his heel, he rounded on their director. Icily, he told him, "Shut the fuck up."

Toby bridled. "I'm sorry? What did you say?"

"You heard what I said," Louis said, seething. "You're not to say one more word to him."

"Fine," he agreed, snidely adding, "Then maybe you can explain why he can't just get across the beam."

"Because he's blind, you bloody idiot," Louis jeered. "Just like we told you when we came back to the gym."

"I thought blind people were supposed to be able to do anything regular people can," was Toby's next argument, spoken like someone who truly believed everything he was saying. "Isn't that the politically correct party line?"

"Shall I throw a blindfold around your eyes and see how well you do on the balance beam?" Louis countered, displaying every bit of the attitude problem he'd been accused of having ever since he was a little boy.

Toby sighed. "Fine. No more balance beam. How about the obstacle course?"

"Are you kidding me?" Louis said, completely incredulous. "We're done."

"Excuse me," Toby returned haughtily. "You don't get to decide when this is done."

"Excuse me," Louis mimicked. "But I'm afraid you're wrong."

Wholly ignoring Louis, Toby commanded, "You have five minutes to get him pulled back together so we can get back to work."

"No," Louis said simply. "We're. Done."

"Why, you little jack--"

Cheryl stepped in at that moment, cutting the director off. "Enough!"

Toby sighed. "Cheryl," he beseeched, "maybe you can get these boys back to work."

Cheryl shook her head. "No. Louis' right. They're done. And so are you. You're fired."

"Fired?" Toby sputtered. "You can't do that!"

"Take it to Simon if you like, but I can almost guarantee he'll back me up."

"But…." As Toby continued his protest, Louis tuned him out, instead, turning around until his gaze fell upon Harry.

Harry still sat in the corner formed by the beam he'd spent so long trying to traverse and the wall. His knees were drawn up, his face was in his hands, and his shoulders shook with sobs. While Zayn and Liam hovered nearby, Niall was crouched right in front of Harry, one hand on each of Harry's knees.

From where Louis stood, he heard Niall clearly--and loudly--tell Harry to, "Fuck 'im!"

Louis couldn't help but give a small smile at Niall's version of a pep talk, and, happy to leave the tense air surrounding Cheryl and Toby, he walked over to where his lads were.

As Louis approached, Liam held a finger to his lips.

Louis nodded and whispered, "How is he?"

Liam shrugged. In a low tone, he answered, "I think he'll be okay. He just got super frustrated, and that arse of a director didn't help."

When Louis made to go displace Niall in front of Harry, Louis grabbed his bicep and held him back. "No. Niall's got this. Let him."

Louis wasn't totally thrilled by the idea of not being the one to help Harry through this, and his displeasure must have shown on his face because Liam added, "Remember, it doesn't always have to be you helping him."

Intellectually, Louis knew Liam was right, even if his heart screamed differently. So, though he was reluctant, he nodded. He did, however, move a little closer to try to hear what Niall and Harry were saying to each other.

"I messed it up for everyone, Ni," Harry lamented, tears still making their way down his cheeks.

"Bollocks! You didn't mess anything up," Niall scoffed. "He's got plenty of footage. And if he doesn't, sod him. He'll just have to figure something else out other than what's here in the gym. Not your problem."

"I just wanted to get across," Harry confided.

"Then let's get you across," Niall proposed, already making a move to rise, grabbing Harry's arm as he did so, pulling the younger boy up with him.

At the puzzled look on Harry's face, Niall clarified, "We're going to get across the beam, you and me."

"Niall…?" Harry sounded slightly unsure.

"Do you trust me?" Niall checked.

Harry instantly nodded. "I do."

"Then let's do this. The beam is just to your left. Climb on."

Harry felt with his foot for the beam, then followed Niall's directions and got up on top yet again. Louis couldn't even guess how many times that made it.

Niall climbed up on the beam, too, facing Harry. Underhanded, he grabbed Harry's forearms right near the elbows. Harry caught on quickly and got an overhanded grip on Niall's arms. Louis could see Harry's knuckles turn white from holding onto Niall so tightly, but Niall didn't flinch.

"Okay, we're going to move slowly. Just one foot in front of the other, right?" Niall directed. "No rush."

Harry hesitantly slid his front foot forward, then brought his other foot around. When he wobbled, Niall held on fast. "I've got you," he assured Harry.

Louis felt an overwhelming surge of love for Niall as the Irish lad steadfastly guided Harry across the beam. Niall didn't take a single step backward without offering a gentle word of encouragement to Harry.

They made it to the end of the balance beam without a single misstep, and as Niall steered Harry off the end, a huge smile broke out over Harry's face. Niall's smile was even bigger.

Since Harry still had his hands on Niall, it was easy for him to pull Niall in for a hug. Louis thought he heard Harry whisper, "Thank you."

Niall whispered back, "Any time, bro."

After he let Niall go, Harry asked, "So, what does it look like we're doing next?"

Louis locked gazes with Liam before speaking, and when Liam nodded assent, Louis spoke up. "I'm pretty sure we're going back to the studio. We're done here."

Confused looks crossed the faces of each of his bandmates.

"That can't be it," Zayn said. "He can't possibly have filmed enough for a whole video. Well, not enough for an interesting video."

"He's been sacked," Louis informed them, unable to hold back a satisfied grin.

"Sacked?" Liam repeated incredulously, clearly speaking for Zayn, Niall, and Harry, too.

"Sacked," Louis verified. "Cheryl sacked him."

"You can't sack someone for being an arse," Niall pointed out. "So, what did she sack him for?"

Louis shrugged. "I don't think she liked his attitude. So, since he's out, I'm guessing we can't keep going with the video until they find someone to replace him."

Cheryl came over at that point and confirmed Louis' supposition. "Okay, boys, you're done here for now. Back to the studio."

"What about the video?" Liam questioned.

"I'll assume Louis told you I had to fire Toby?" she answered a question with a question.

The four boys who weren't Louis nodded.

"Well, I've already spoken to Simon, and he's looking for a replacement, so with any luck, we can finish this up tomorrow," she explained. "For now, though, Dr. McKay is going to meet up with you back at the studio to clear Harry to sing, and you guys can spend the afternoon practising your live show songs before you have to get ready for the movie premiere."

"Sounds good," Zayn said, and the others murmured their agreement.

"Collect your things, then, and meet me out at the car in ten minutes, okay?" Cheryl requested. "Oh, and here's your cane, Harry."

After Harry took his cane back, the boys went back to the room where they'd gotten into the uniforms they wore, and they swiftly changed back into their own clothes. They checked that they had everything that was theirs and then got out to the car with thirty seconds to spare.

Since he'd helped him across the beam, Harry had been letting Niall guide him. Louis would have been lying if he'd said it didn't make him completely jealous. Liam was right, though. He couldn't be the only one helping Harry. Besides, as they waited for their turn to get inside, Niall and Harry were impossibly cute together, whispering conspiratorially about one thing or another. Louis knew he had to share Harry, green monster or not.

When they got into the car, Harry asked to sit next to Louis, and Louis happily made room.

"How're you doing, Hazza?" Louis inquired, resting a hand on Harry's thigh.

Harry smiled softly. "I'm okay. Did you see, Louis? I made it all the way across the beam. Well, with help from Niall."

Louis smiled back. "I did see. You did great."

Harry's smile faltered a little, and Louis could tell that an unpleasant thought had just occurred to him. "What is it? What's wrong?" Louis questioned.

Harry's smile returned for a fraction of a second, and he shook his head. "I always forget."

"Forget what?"

"That sighted people can read faces."

"I love reading your gorgeous face," Louis told him sincerely.

Harry blushed at the compliment.

"Seriously, though, what's bothering you?"

"You don't think they'll use any of the film where I kept falling off the balance beam, do you?" Harry shared what was clearly a big concern.

"I shouldn't think so. We can ask, though, to be sure," Louis replied.

"Do you think the video's really messed up?" Harry wondered aloud. "Since I had such a hard time with the rope and the beam, and we had to stop early?"

"No, I don't," Louis replied quickly and definitively. "I think that guy was a dick, and Simon will find someone much better to finish it."

"I hope so," Harry said, though his tone told Louis he wasn't totally convinced.

"I don't want you to beat yourself up about this for one second," Louis commanded. "He was being unreasonable. You tried so hard to do what he was asking you to. I can't think of a single other person I know who would have tried that hard. Hell, I would have given up in less than half the time."

"I really was trying."

"And everyone knew it but him." Louis squeezed Harry's knee. "Simon's going to find someone else to work with us, and it's all going to be fine."

"Thanks."

The rest of the trip to the studio was uneventful. It was a nice break after the tension of the morning. They were met in their practise room by Dr. McKay, who gave Harry a thorough once-over and declared that he was good to go. He could sing again.

They spent the afternoon running through their live show numbers, Harry picking up his parts with ease, clearly thrilled to be back at it.

Cheryl had to run them from the room when it became apparent that if they practised anymore, they would be late to their movie premiere, though they did take time to stop in wardrobe to pick out five matching suits so they would look sharp on their second red carpet run.

The life of almost-pop stars was tough.

* * *

Cheryl came to the house the following morning when the boys were stumbling around trying to recover from their outing the night before. The premiere had been a blast, and they had also been, again, invited to an after-party where they had once more gotten to rub elbows with celebrities they'd only ever seen on TV and in the movies. It continued to be exciting that some of those celebrities knew who they were and wanted to tell the boys that they were following them on _The X-Factor_ and were rooting for them to win. None of One Direction thought that was going to get old anytime soon.

Cheryl told them that even though he was operating from his sickbed, Simon had managed to locate a new director for their video. They were going to the exact same location to finish what they'd begun with Toby the day before. With any luck, she explained further, they would finish the video in the morning and get back to the studio in time to block their live show songs in the afternoon.

The boys were a little apprehensive as they dressed and climbed into the car to be ferried back to the school. The shoot the day before had shaken all of them, particularly Harry, and they really didn't want to be faced with another director who didn't get them.

They talked about nothing in particular on the way to the school, and in no time at all, they'd arrived at the location where they would, with any luck, finish their video with no drama.

They were met by a man around the same age as Toby Nicholls, but Louis immediately liked him better because of his warm smile and laid-back air. Also because when he introduced himself--"Ben Winston."--he held his hand out to Harry first. Liam was on Harry's right and casually cued the blind boy with a tap on his forearm.

Once all the boys had shaken their new director's hand, Ben explained his plan for the day. "Simon sent over what Toby filmed yesterday, and I took a look. A lot of it is usable, so I just want to tweak the idea a little, add to it.

"I thought we could start with you guys singing the song in, maybe, two more locations. I'm thinking outside. Then my guys found a playground that's in the park behind the school. I thought we could block it off and set you guys loose. How's that sound?"

The boys all nodded guardedly.

"Harry?" Ben inquired. "Will that work for you?"

Harry appeared surprised that Ben was asking him, specifically, his opinion. He shrugged under the scrutiny. "Sounds like it. I guess we'll find out?"

"If something isn't working for any of you, you need to let me know, okay?" Ben ordered.

They all nodded again.

"Super!" Ben said with a grin. "They have your wardrobe inside, and make-up is waiting for you. Meet me back here when they've got you dolled up."

Just as they had the day before, they trooped into the classroom where wardrobe outfitted them in the same clothes they'd worn the previous morning and make-up re-created their looks so there would be continuity. When they were ready, they met Ben back out in the front of the school.

"I think we have enough coverage of you guys inside, so I was thinking we could just get some coverage outside. We're set up on the blacktop in the back. Come on," he urged before leading the way around to the back of the school.

The crew was set up on the blacktop directly behind the school, and Ben directed them to stand in the center in a line. He said since they'd sung it with choreography the day before, they didn't need to do that this time. He told them just to sing along with the track and belt it out just like they would if they were on the _X-Factor_ stage.

The song blasted from speakers which had been set up, and it sounded really cool outside. They sang their way through it twice, then Ben wanted to move the action to a small hill nearby to run through the song a couple more times before they made their way to the playground.

Ben chatted with them while his crew shifted their equipment up to the hill. The boys were much more relaxed than they had been the day before, and that was all down to Ben's easygoing attitude. He was treating this endeavor as a partnership with the boys, rather than a dictatorship over the boys, constantly checking that they were comfortable with what they were doing, Harry in particular.

They sang the song twice on the hill, then Ben decided he had enough footage of them straight out performing the song, so he told his crew to switch locations yet again, and then he went ahead and led the band and their small entourage up to the playground in the park.

"What do you want us to do?" Zayn asked Ben when they arrived at the gate which opened onto the playground.

Ben smiled. "Play. The song is about being forever young, so I think you should just play."

"You don't want us on any specific equipment?" Louis checked, his tone somewhat sceptical.

Ben shook his head. "Nope. Whatever you're comfortable with." He looked over to where the men carrying the cameras were approaching. "Give them about fifteen minutes to set up, then you can have at it."

Niall, Zayn, and Liam immediately used the short break to pull out and check their phones, while Louis said to Harry, "That's enough time for us to map the playground, Harry, if you like."

Harry smiled. "That would be great."

While the camera guys located the best angles around the playground, Louis led Harry around, showing him the swings, the slides, the teeter-totters, the climbing frame, the roundabout, and the sandbox. By the time they made it back to the entrance, Ben was telling the other three members of the band that they were ready to film.

"So, no directions?" Liam confirmed.

"No directions," Ben repeated. "Just play. Go!"

Niall and Zayn made an immediate beeline for the teeter-totters, while Liam headed for the slides. Louis turned to Harry to ask, "Where do you want to start?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. The swings?"

"Works for me," Louis said with a smile, already tugging Harry in the direction of the nearby swing set.

When they arrived at their first destination, Louis placed Harry's hand on one of the metal chains, leaving him to feel out where the seat of his swing was while Louis sat on the swing next to it.

It wasn't long before the boys were in a competition for who could swing higher. Toward the end of their contest, the other three boys showed up to cheer for them, not picking sides, but rooting them both on. Louis won by virtue of being a bit less hesitant to pump his legs harder, though Harry was not far behind.

Harry made Louis choose what they would go to next, so Louis chose the teeter-totters. Zayn and Liam took the one next to Louis and Harry's, and Niall climbed onto the middle of Zayn and Liam's, balancing himself insanely well as they tipped it end to end.

When they'd had enough of the teeter-totters, they all decided on the slides, and at one point, they all ended up piled one on top of the other, Harry at the bottom of the slide, and Louis at the top. Louis was pretty sure the footage from this part of the shoot was going to be hilarious to watch.

After they had tired of the slides, Niall, Zayn, and Liam wanted to take their turn on the swings, while Harry requested they try the roundabout. As Louis walked them over, Harry explained, "When I was little, the roundabout was my favourite."

"It was?" Louis asked, intrigued as always to learn more about his boyfriend's past.

Harry nodded. "I used to beg Gemma to spin me as fast as she could. I could never quite get enough."

Louis grinned. "I can just picture baby Hazza spinning around and around in the middle of the roundabout, curls flying."

Harry shook his head. "No curls. I didn't have those until much later, but the rest of your image is probably spot on."

"Here we are." Louis transferred Harry's hand from his elbow to the nearest rail on the roundabout.

Harry climbed on and moved immediately to the middle, holding fast to a rail on either side of him. "Spin me," he ordered.

Louis obliged and began turning the roundabout, although not very quickly.

"Faster, you wimp," Harry ordered.

Louis obliged and began pushing the roundabout even faster, smiling at the pure joy on Harry's face, hoping some camera man somewhere was capturing the look on film.

Shortly after he'd gotten the roundabout moving at a snappy pace, he jumped onto it himself, carefully mincing his way up a wedge right next to the one Harry had situated himself in. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Liam, Zayn, and Niall approaching. They got a hold of the now-slowing roundabout and spun it hard before they, too, jumped on.

When the roundabout started to slow again, the five boys just collapsed, giggling like children. They didn't even notice Ben walking up alongside the roundabout, a big smile on his face. They looked up when he began to speak. "That was great, you guys."

"It was good?" Louis asked.

"Really good," Ben insisted. "I think we got really good coverage there. Plenty to use in the video."

"Are we done, then?" Harry inquired.

"I think so," Ben replied.

Cheryl came up beside him, also smiling widely. "That all looked great, boys! I think it's going to be a terrific video."

They all clambered off the roundabout, a few of them staggering from dizziness.

"Back to the studio now?" Liam wondered out loud.

"Unless you can think of something else you need, Ben?" Cheryl checked.

Ben shook his head. "Nope. I can start pulling together the video this afternoon, have it all done by the weekend."

"Excellent," Cheryl said. "All right then, guys, back to the school to change, then right to the studio for blocking."

The band followed her back down to the school and changed back into their street clothes. By the time they were ready to get in the car to head to the studio, Ben had returned to the school, and they thanked him profusely for being such an easygoing director and monumentally improving upon their experience with Toby the previous day. He assured them it had been his pleasure and hoped they liked the final product when they saw it.

The drive to the studio was short, since it was the middle of the day, and traffic was relatively light. They had barely dumped their things in the practise room to go get a quick lunch when Zayn was called away by an assistant.

When he met up with them in the dining area, his face was ashen.

"What's wrong, Zayn?" Liam asked softly, guiding the older boy into his usual seat.

"My grandfather," Zayn answered as if in a haze. "He's suddenly gotten very ill. My mum's not sure he'll make it."

"Are you going to go home?" Harry added to the inquiry.

"I don't want to miss our rehearsal, but…." He seemed too emotional to finish.

"You need to go," Liam concluded firmly. "We'll get on without you. You have to be with your family right now."

"Are you sure?" Zayn looked into each of his bandmates' faces.

"Absolutely," Louis told him. "Family first."

"Stay up there as long as you need to," Liam added.

"And let us know if we can do anything," Harry urged sincerely.

Zayn nodded. "I will. Thanks, guys." He rose to accept a group hug. When they let him go, he said, "They said they'd send a car for me if I decided to go, so I should go tell them to send for it. I'll text you with any news."

Liam pulled Zayn into one more hug before saying, "Take care, Z."

Zayn went off to find an assistant, and it was a very sombre quartet, then, that sat down to lunch, fearing it would be several more days until they felt like a whole again.

* * *

Rehearsing without Zayn was as weird as rehearsing without Harry. They had all come to recognise that if one of them was missing, they just didn't sound right. They persevered, though, and blocked the songs Wednesday afternoon, and practised them again on Thursday.

By Thursday afternoon, when they were again giving interviews about making the semi-finals, they had received texts from Zayn saying his grandfather had passed. The funeral would be the following day.

When they arrived back at the house, they had a four-person group meeting and decided that they needed to be at the funeral the next day to support Zayn. They called Scott to check that that was okay and to see what they could do about transportation up to Bradford. Scott told them the show would arrange for a car to take them up and bring them back.

They made sure to get to sleep at a decent hour--not staying up to watch TV or play with the Wii as they so often did--and got up before dawn to dress in dark-coloured suits and hop into a car that drove them the almost four hours up to Bradford.

They arrived just in time for the funeral service, and Zayn seemed genuinely pleased that they made the effort to come. They assured him they wouldn't have had it any other way.

The boys hung together at the wake back at the Maliks' home, making sure to offer their condolences to all of Zayn's family. It was mid-afternoon when all of their guests left, and One Direction, including Zayn, climbed back into the car to head back to London.

"It was a lovely service," Harry told Zayn as the car headed south.

"It was," Zayn agreed. "Thank you all for coming. It meant a lot to me and to my family."

"Your grandfather was a great man," Liam commented. They had all gotten to meet him when he came down for one of the early live shows. He had loved their rendition of "You Are So Beautiful" so much that it had been played during the service. "He was truly rooting for us to win."

Zayn smiled, closing his eyes to what Louis imagined must be a memory of his grandfather. "He was great. I will miss him so so much."

Niall reached a hand over to lay a supportive hand on Zayn's thigh.

"How're the songs coming along?" Zayn changed the subject.

"Okay," Louis said. "Though they'll sound better once we're all singing them together again." They had only gotten to practise all together on the Tuesday afternoon.

"We're going to have to go in early tomorrow and rehearse," Liam declared. "I'm not sure we'll be ready to perform tomorrow night if we don't." He looked from one bandmate to the other to gauge their reaction to his statement.

They all nodded their agreement. Louis added, "That's a good idea."

They were all silent for a few moments, each lost in his own thoughts.

It was Harry who broke the quiet. "If we make it through on Sunday, we're in the final."

"The final," Niall breathed reverently.

"We might actually win this thing," Liam proclaimed. "We're so close."

"We just have to get through four people," Louis pointed out. "Four people stand between us and a record contract."

"What will we do if we don't win?" Harry asked the million-pound question.

"Cry," Niall determined with a wry smile.

The other four chuckled. Niall was probably not wrong.

"Seriously, though," Harry persisted. "What will we do if we don't win? I don't know if I can just go back home and start trying to figure out college."

"Me, neither," Zayn echoed.

"Yeah, that would suck," Louis declared.

"So, why don't we stay together?" Liam sensibly suggested. "Give it a go no matter what."

"Without a record contract?" Niall inquired.

"I'm betting we'll be signed," Liam told him. "If not by Simon, then by someone else. People out there are voting for us every week. People who might buy a record."

"Good point," Louis concurred. "And we get to go on the _X-Factor_ tour no matter what. That's time we can use to promote ourselves."

"Louis Walsh does keep saying we're the next big boy band," Zayn reminded them.

"We could make such a sick album," Niall said. "Just think about it…. We could maybe record a hit single. Number one on the charts."

"That would be really cool." Zayn grinned widely. "Imagine hearing ourselves on the radio."

"We could be proper rock stars," Louis added. "Trash hotel rooms and the like."

"I already trashed a hotel room, remember?" Harry joked.

They all laughed. "Indeed you did," Louis confirmed. "So now we only have to smash some guitars on stage."

"We would have to live in London, wouldn't we?" Harry sobered to draw a logical conclusion.

"I believe we would, yes," Liam said. "That is where most of the music business is."

"Moving to London would be so amazing," Niall enthused. "We could get our own flats, go to a recording studio every day, sign autographs on Oxford Street. 'Twould be awesome."

Even in the dimming light filling the car as dusk fell outside, Louis could see the worry on Harry's face. He bumped his upper elbow against his boyfriend's. "We've already discussed this, Haz, remember? We'll get a place together. None of us has to do this on our own."

"What's more," Liam added, "I don't think we should. We've already seen this week how it really doesn't work unless all five of us are working together."

"All for one, and one for all?" Niall proposed.

"All for one, and one for all," Liam repeated with certainty. "Lads?"

Liam put his hand in front of him, and Niall covered it instantly. Zayn brought his in next, then Louis grabbed Harry's hand and put it on top of Zayn's. Louis covered Harry's and pressed down. "One!" he yelled.

"Direction!" the other four finished. It was a pact sealed in hard work, dedication, and determination to make it.

And make it they did, right through to the final.

* * *

There was no theme for the final live shows. The boys were allowed to choose whatever songs they wanted. They knew from past history that they would have to choose three songs, and, if they made it to the final two, they'd perform "Forever Young," their winners' single. They'd even gotten to see the video Ben had produced to go with their single. It had turned out pretty great, despite the trauma of getting it made.

They sat down with a fully-recovered Simon on the Monday after they made it through the semi-final. They were very giddy with their success as Simon outlined the week for them.

"First of all, congratulations for making it this far. I knew you could do it, and I have faith that come next Sunday, you'll be the winner."

They all beamed, hoping he was psychic, as he went on to tell them, "It's going to be a very busy week. In addition to your own songs, there are not one, but two group numbers. And, more than that, this week you get to go on a Hometown Tour. All of you will get to visit your hometown. We've already arranged for a signing of the charity single in Bradford," Zayn straightened and smiled at the mention of his hometown, "and a live performance in Wolverhampton."

Liam--who had grown up in Wolverhampton--was flabbergasted. "Seriously?"

Simon nodded. "Seriously."

As if the excitement of trips to their hometowns wasn't enough, Simon had one more announcement for the boys.

"You will only have to choose two songs for the live shows. The third will be a song sung with a special guest," Simon told them.

"A special guest?"

"Yes. And even though he performed last year with one of the finalists, you'll be singing with someone who specifically requested to perform with you this year," Simon said mysteriously.

"They requested us?" Liam repeated.

"Specifically. Said he was a big fan, and he really wanted to sing something with you."

"He?" Louis parroted.

"Yes."

"Oh, come on, Simon, don't keep us in suspense," Niall begged.

"Who is it?" Harry inquired, sounding as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

"Robbie Williams," Simon revealed with a flourish.

Louis couldn't believe his ears. "Are you kidding? Robbie Williams wants to sing with us?"

"He does," Simon confirmed. "We'll be doing your hometown visits tomorrow, Wednesday is in-studio rehearsals and blocking, and also press. Thursday Robbie will be here to practise with you, Friday is dress, and Saturday is the moment of truth."

"Definitely a busy week," Zayn commented.

"So, no time to waste," Simon stated firmly. "You'll pick the song you'll sing with Robbie when he comes on Thursday, but you have two other songs you need to pick this morning."

They went through the usual list of songs they could choose from, and they pretty quickly picked Elton John's "Your Song" as their first song. But they could not come to an agreement about what they should choose for their second song.

Back when they'd first met up together at the coffee shop, back when they had first been thrown together into a band, they had agreed that they would have a majority rules policy, but they felt like for the last song choice of their _X-Factor_ experience, they needed to have a unanimous vote.

After discarding what seemed a hundred ideas that one or more of the five of them deemed unworthy, Louis made a suggestion. "Why don't we go back to where it started? Why don't we sing 'Torn' again? Can we do that, Simon?"

Simon shrugged. "I don't know why not. What do the rest of you lads think?"

Harry readily agreed, and Liam, Niall, and Zayn followed suit mere seconds later, giving them their unanimous vote.

Simon stood up and rubbed his hands together before heading toward Savan and the piano. "All right then, boys, let's win this thing."

* * *

For the second time in the space of a week, One Direction rose before the sun to make a trip. Only this time it was not for a sad event, but, rather, a most happy one. They would all get to see their hometowns that day.

Well, all but Niall, they were soon to learn. The weather was bad enough--snow was falling in Ireland--that they could not fly to visit where Niall had been raised as planned, so, instead, they went to a television station to do a live video feed with Niall's family.

It was a lift for all of them to see how much support they had, even on the Emerald Isle, but especially for Niall. All his family had gathered together, along with many of his friends, to say hello, even though it was early, early in the morning. Niall was grinning from ear to ear as they left the studio to climb into the touring van which was their transport for the day.

Their second stop was to be Louis' old school in Doncaster, Hall Cross. As they pulled through the school gates, they caught sight of a very large crowd waiting outside to greet them.

"Wow!" Niall breathed.

"Oh my God," Louis intoned.

Their reactions prompted Harry to ask, "What?"

"Huge, huge crowd," Liam told him. "Can you hear them?" To help, he rolled down the window just a little.

Harry cocked his head a little, then smiled and nodded. "They sound very excited."

"Excited to see Louis," Zayn detailed, bumping Louis' knee with his own, cackling.

"I don't think it's just me they're excited to see," Louis demurred.

Moments later, they climbed out of the car, Harry sure to get a good grip on Louis' arm. They had been faced with large groups of fans outside the _X-Factor_ studio and several other locations as their popularity had risen, but this was quite a sprawling crowd. Louis could tell it was making Harry just a little nervous.

He placed his free hand over where Harry's held his elbow. "It's cool, Harry. Lots of security."

Harry nodded and smiled. "So, this is your old school?"

"Yeah. But I didn't get this kind of welcome when I actually went here," Louis joked.

"I'd never have wanted to skip school if they greeted me like this every day," Harry joked back.

The crowd was incredibly enthusiastic as the boys walked down the aisle carved by security. There were lots of homemade signs and t-shirts and cries of "I love you" followed by each of the boys' names as they walked by. Louis wished he had time to stop and speak to everyone, but they were hustled inside and through to the all-purpose room too quickly for that.

While they waited behind the stage to be introduced, they did a quick little vocal exercise to get ready to sing the three songs they were slated to do. They were to perform "Torn," "Chasing Cars," and "Summer of '69." One of the _X-Factor_ guitarists had come along to accompany them. Finally, they were handed microphones, and they were introduced before filing onto the stage in front of a room full of One Direction supporters all chanting the band name over and over and over. It was absolutely mind-boggling, particularly in a room Louis remembered standing in for assemblies himself.

Since it was Louis' school, he ended up doing most of the talking, after the Mayor of Doncaster had his say. Louis told the crowd of screaming teenagers that they were so excited to have made it this far on _The X-Factor_ , and he thanked them profusely for their votes and their support. He told them they were thrilled to perform in the final, and he urged the crowd to keep voting One Direction to win. When he was done giving his little speech, the others all said a brief word each, basically echoing Louis' sentiments.

They concluded their appearance with their three songs, and they all came across beautifully and were received better than they could ever have expected.

They were all feeling on top of the world as they climbed once again into the van, this time to head to Harry's village, Holmes Chapel.

The drive didn't take all that long, and they pulled past the "Welcome to Holmes Chapel" sign mid-morning. Harry was practically vibrating with excitement by the time Louis told him they'd passed the sign.

They were going to Harry's mum's house for their visit. It had been decided that it would be easier for Harry if they went someplace he knew really well, someplace relatively small. As a bonus, at his mum's house, it would be easy to contain the crowd.

When they pulled up to the drive, there was a crowd gathered in front of the house. It wasn't quite as large a crowd as there had been at Hall Cross, but they were no less enthusiastic. They also had signs and t-shirts declaring their support for Harry and his bandmates. It was still so unreal to the boys, how many people they had in their corner.

As the van came to a stop, the crowd parted, and Anne appeared, practically pulling Harry from the vehicle to fold him into a bone-crushing hug.

Harry was grinning and blushing as the crowd chanted his name. He took his mother's elbow and she led him into the house, the other boys trailing closely behind. They all gathered in the kitchen, where champagne was on ice and a cake decorated with the band's name awaited them, along with Robin.

Robin gave them all bear hugs, starting with Harry and ending with Liam. "Congratulations for making the final, lads! Terrific job! We'll be voting our fingers off this weekend. I like your chances."

The boys beamed and accepted plates with huge pieces of cake on them and glass champagne flutes with a generous amount of celebratory drink in them. They toasted to their success at the _X-Factor_ final and to a fruitful record contract.

When they were almost done eating, Harry asked Anne if he and Louis could speak to her in private. Without wasting a moment of their precious time--knowing it was limited that day--she led them out of the crowded kitchen and into the front room where they could talk just the three of them.

"So, how are you boys doing?" Anne asked, taking one of the easy chairs while the boys sat side by side on the sofa.

"Good, Mum," Harry answered. "It's been crazy busy, but it's good."

She reached over to put her hand on Harry's knee. "I am so proud of you, baby. Both of you. This is a really big deal, making the final."

Harry blushed at her praise, and if the heat rising up his cheeks was any indication, Louis was blushing, too.

Anne straightened back up to inquire, "So, have you boys talked about what you're going to do if you don't win? It's amazing just getting to the final, but isn't it just the winner that gets a contract?"

"That's kind of what I…we wanted to talk to you about," Harry explained. "We're going to stay together as a band no matter what."

Anne smiled. "I had a feeling that's where this was going. You all sound so good together, and I know you've all gotten close."

"We have," Louis confirmed. "I only have sisters, but now I feel like I have brothers, too."

"I feel like that, too," Harry agreed. He turned toward Louis to remark, "Though not about you. You definitely don't feel like my brother."

Louis chuckled. "Nor you mine. But the others, though."

"So," Anne interrupted them. "You'll try for a record contract on your own, then, if you don't win?"

Harry and Louis nodded simultaneously.

"That would be challenging," she warned. "So many other people wanting the same thing."

"We know," Louis told her. "But we'd have the show behind us, and we have a built-in fanbase. We're hoping this gives us, I don't know, an edge."

Anne nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds reasonable."

"We'd need to stay in London," Harry said quietly, clearly nervous about her reaction.

Her reaction was to smile knowingly. "That's what this whole conversation is about, isn't it, Harry? You letting me know you want to stay in London."

He nodded slowly. Louis heard him suck in a breath and hold it. Trying to be subtle--and probably failing--Louis pressed the back of his hand against Harry's thigh to remind Harry that he was with him all the way.

Anne sighed softly. "I think I knew this was going to happen, that you weren't going to come back home. I think I've known that for a while, in fact."

"It's not that I don't love being home," Harry was quick to assure her. "I do. I love Holmes Chapel."

"I know, honey. But you need to be in London. You've come too far to let it go if you don't have to."

Harry smiled, relieved she didn't appear to be inclined to argue about this.

"You're not going to try to get a place by yourself, though, are you?" Anne went on to ask worriedly. "I'm not sure I think that's the best idea. You are only sixteen." The "and blind" went unspoken, but Louis heard it as clear as if she'd said it, and Harry's face told Louis he wasn't the only one.

"Seventeen in less than two months!" Harry corrected, though he left the other part alone. 

"That's still pretty young for you to be on your own in a big city like London," Anne said.

Harry bit his bottom lip before saying, "That's why Louis and I were thinking of getting a place together."

Anne fixed Louis with a look he couldn't quite interpret. "Oh, you were, were you?"

Harry nodded. "We want to be together. To live together."

"I can sign a lease for a flat," Louis told her. "And I'd be there to help Harry get to know the city."

"Those are compelling arguments, boys." Her tone was a little unreadable, but Louis didn't think she was about to come up with reasons they weren't valid arguments.

"Please, Mum. Please say we have your blessing," Harry requested, his face filled with hope.

She paused for a split second before nodding. "You do," she said. "But I want to come down and help you boys find someplace."

"She means she's going to make sure I won't get lost or killed in the neighbourhood," Harry translated as an aside to Louis.

"Watch it there, cheeky boy," Anne cautioned with a slight slap on his thigh, though neither her words nor the slap contained much fire.

From the kitchen came calls of "Harry! Louis!"

Harry groaned. "It must be time for us to go."

"Where are you headed next?" Anne wondered aloud.

"Bradford, where Zayn is from," Louis told her. "I think we have a CD signing."

"That sounds like fun!"

All three stood at the same time, and Anne was swift to wrap her youngest in a warm hug, whispering something Louis couldn't quite hear in his ear. When they parted, she pulled Louis into a hug, too.

As they headed back to the kitchen, she said, "Have a great time this week, boys. Soak in every moment."

They nodded. "We will," Harry promised.

All of One Direction accepted hugs, more congratulations, and best wishes from both Anne and Robin, then Scott shooed them from the house and back into the van.

They made a quick stop at a Starbucks for coffee, tea, and sandwiches, which they downed as they made their way to Bradford.

In Bradford, they were shuttled to the HMV on what Zayn assured them was a major high street. They entered the store through the back and were ushered into a back room--it looked to Louis like it might be the employees' break room--where they were greeted by several members of Zayn's family. His mum and his sisters all squealed with joy when they laid eyes on Zayn, enveloping him in hugs and kisses, which they also bestowed on the other members of the band when they finished with Zayn.

Before it was time to get to the signing portion of the day, they gave Zayn a little time with his family while the other boys chilled out, occasionally adding to the conversation the Maliks were having.

It was explained to the boys, then, that they had set up a table inside the store and that there was a sizeable line of fans waiting to have them sign copies of "Heroes." They had signed autographs for some of the fans who waited at the _X-Factor_ studio to meet them, but this was their first formal autograph session.

When they went to arrange themselves at the table, they ended up putting Louis first, with Harry next to him, then Liam, Zayn, and Niall.

Louis could tell Harry was anxious as they took their seats. "You okay there, Hazza?"

Harry shrugged, but then, in a whisper, he admitted, "Just nervous about signing things. What if my signature's a mess?"

Louis smiled sympathetically. "You sign your name really well, considering. There's a spot on the bottom right of the CD booklet that's perfect for you to sign. There's a pile of the booklets right in front of me for the fans to take and hand to all of us--" he watched Harry gingerly search for and subsequently find the pile Louis was referring to, "--and if they happen to have something else they want signed, I can point to a good spot for you."

"Do you think I can test out my signature on one?" Harry wondered out loud.

"Sure. Why not?" While Harry picked up a pen, Louis grabbed a booklet from the pile, helped Harry position it, then placed his own finger on a good starting point, making sure that Harry got a good sense of where that spot was in relation to the rest of the booklet. Harry did his signature where Louis directed. "Looks great!" Louis praised.

"You sure?" Harry checked sceptically.

"Yes, but if you won't take my word for it, let's ask Liam," Louis suggested. He leaned past Harry to look at Liam. "Li?"

"Hm?" Liam turned from the conversation he and Zayn had been having while they waited for the HMV employees to open the doors to the horde outside.

"Harry wants to know how his autograph looks." Louis held up the booklet Harry had signed.

"Looks great, Haz," Liam said. "Better than Niall's."

Niall reached across Zayn to playfully punch Liam.

"I guess I'll have to take your words for it," Harry finally relented.

"Are you boys ready?" Scott came to the front of the table to ask.

The entirety of the band nodded. "Let 'em in," Niall added for good measure.

The fans--mostly girls, from what Louis could see--were allowed in and they were guided into a queue which snaked from the table at which One Direction sat all the way back to and out the front door of the store. Louis knew they would only be there a few hours, and he hoped they could get to most, if not all, of the fans before they had to leave.

The area right by the boys was roped off, and there was a member of store security present to let one fan through at a time. The first fan he opened the gate for was a girl probably aged fourteen or fifteen, fair-haired and light eyed. She clapped her hand over her mouth the instant she landed in front of Louis.

"Hi, love," Louis greeted her kindly. "What's your name?"

"Marina," she lowered her hand to reply nervously.

"That's a pretty name," Louis told her with a wide smile.

Marina smiled back. "Thank you."

"Have you been watching the show?" Louis asked, drawing one of the booklets in front of him and signing it.

She nodded. "I've been voting for you every week."

"Thanks. Don't forget to vote this weekend." Louis slid the booklet to Harry, making sure to keep it facing the correct way and touching Harry's hand with it as surreptitiously as he could. "Marina, this is Harry."

Marina blushed furiously as she said, "Hi, Harry."

Harry turned his face up so he could offer her a dimpled grin. "Hi, Marina. How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine." She paused for a second while Harry carefully signed the booklet. Then she pulled in a deep breath and shyly told him, "I think you're really amazing."

Harry's blush matched Marina's as he responded with a quiet, "Thank you."

Harry was pushing the booklet toward Liam while Marina side-stepped down the table as Louis introduced the next fan to Harry. "Jenny, this is Harry."

The signing continued in that fashion for the next three hours, and it was almost all smooth sailing. There were a few fans who were stunned into silence at being faced with their television idols, and that made it difficult for Harry to communicate with them, but overall it went really well, and they got through the entire queue by the time it was time to move on to their last stop, Wolverhampton.

Simon met up with them in chilly Queen Square in Liam's hometown. Liam's family also came out for the occasion, and the boys had a few minutes to catch up with the Paynes before it was time for them to step on stage in front of one very enthusiastic crowd to sing "Viva La Vida," "Only Girl (in the World)," and "Chasing Cars," backed by a small band Simon had brought along. The show was concluded with a fireworks display which thrilled the boys. None of them had ever had been feted so thoroughly.

As they were hustled off the stage and back to the van for the journey back to London, someone told them that the preliminary count of heads there to see them was around 3,000 to 4,000. The boys were gobsmacked to have so many people willing to come out in the freezing cold to listen to them sing.

As the van drove into the night, the boys fell asleep one by one on each other's shoulders, exhausted from the long day of traveling, performing, meeting, and greeting.

Louis could not have been happier. It had been an amazing day, they would be performing in the _X-Factor_ finale in just four short days, and asleep on his shoulder was the sweetest, kindest boy in the world--and he was all Louis'. Life was good. Very good. And with any luck, the coming weekend would make it even better.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The X-Factor_ Live Shows: Week 10, Part 2 (of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are, the final chapter!! Thanks so much to each and every one of you who have followed this story from start to finish. I appreciate your readership, your comments, your kudos, and your support. They have made publishing my baby here on AO3 a joy.
> 
> An interesting piece of trivia: Tomorrow (9th September) marks the first anniversary of my writing the first words of this story. Therefore, from first word written to last word published, this story represents a year-long endeavor. I am so sad to be letting my baby go....
> 
> I hope you enjoy the last part of the story. So, with no further ado, go read....

Over the next few days, Louis tried to follow Anne's directive: Soak in every moment. It was their last week on _The X-Factor_ , no matter what the outcome of the finale. By Monday, they'd have to move out of the _X-Factor_ house, and either they'd be signing a contract because they were the winner, or they'd have to start hitting the pavement to look for a contract.

Wednesday was the usual, practising their independent numbers and the group number and getting started with the blocking. They went bowling that night with the other finalists to burn off their collective nervous energy. At first, Harry had demurred and said he didn't want to go, but Louis and Liam had jointly worked on him until he agreed to go, if only to shut them both up.

At the alley, Harry once again tried to say he would just sit on the leatherette couch while everyone else bowled. "I'm okay. I can just get a soda and talk to whoever isn't taking their turn."

Louis shook his head. "No." He paused for a moment of deep thinking. "Hang on one second."

Louis left Harry with the others and went in search of the alley manager and explained that he was there with his friend who was blind. He asked the manager if it would be okay for Louis to walk Harry the length of a lane, just so he could get his bearings. The manager was terribly kind and said yes, as long as they did so in stocking feet.

When Louis returned to Harry, he told him to take off his shoes.

"Why?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Well, for one, you'll need to put on the bowling shoes I got you, but first, you get a grand tour of our lane," Louis explained.

"I don't need that," Harry countered, blushing with embarrassment. "It's okay. I don't need anyone to go to any trouble."

"It's not any trouble. Shoes. Off," Louis ordered.

Harry sighed. "You sure it's all right?"

"I checked with the manager. C'mon."

Harry toed off his shoes, then took Louis' elbow. Louis walked them to the bowling line. He bent down and let Harry feel from one side to the other so he would know how wide it was, and he showed him the gutter on either side. Next, he walked Harry the entire length of the lane until they arrived at the other end. Before walking back, he urged Harry to feel the pins and their placement, which Harry did carefully. By only brushing his hands over the tops of the pins, he managed not to knock any of them over, though he did slide his hands down the sides of one front pin. Louis presumed this was to get a feel for its dimensions.

When they got back to the couch, the others were all ready to start, having entered their names--Louis and Harry last--into the system and having got a round of sodas. Harry got into his bowling shoes while everyone else took their turn. Liam managed to bowl a strike his first time out.

Louis took his turn, taking down eight pins in all, then it was Harry's turn. Louis helped him pick a ball that was just the right weight, then he walked with Harry to the line and helped him to get a good grip on the ball and aim. Harry threw a gutter ball the first time out, but Louis encouraged him to try again. When his ball was returned, Harry let Louis help him position himself again. This time when he threw the ball, he hit two pins. There was great jubilation in their group at Harry's success.

They played through twice, and Harry never scored higher than thirty--Louis managed over a hundred the second game--but a fun time was had by everyone, and they were all worn out by the time they returned to the _X-Factor_ house. No one had any difficulty falling asleep that night, for once. Nerves or not.

* * *

The following day was Robbie Williams Day, as One Direction had taken to calling it. They arrived at the studio buzzing with nerves. Never in any of their lives had they been presented with such an amazing opportunity. Louis had grown up listening to Robbie, and the thought that now he would be singing with Robbie on live TV was completely mind-blowing.

They warmed up by practising the other songs they would be singing with Savan, though that didn't keep the minutes from feeling like hours. They eventually gave up on singing and just stood around the piano chatting.

Finally, though, Simon walked in the room with a huge grin on his face and a visitor. "Hi, boys! Look who I found wandering in the hall." It was none other than Robbie Williams himself.

Robbie smiled at all the boys where they stood around the piano, but made a beeline for the youngest member of the band. "Harry Styles, Robbie Williams. Let me shake your hand." Louis couldn't help but appreciate the fact that Robbie had stated his intentions, meaning Harry didn't need to question whether or not to hold out his hand.

Harry was obviously taken aback by being singled out, but he recovered quickly and did, indeed, hold out his hand for Robbie to shake. "H-hi," he stuttered out.

"It's so great to meet you," Robbie told him sincerely. "What you're doing is absolutely amazing. You are truly one of a kind. I hope you know that."

Harry beamed at the compliment, blushing furiously. "Thank you."

"I mean it," Robbie went on to insist. "I did the boy band thing, and it wasn't easy, and I can see. You make doing it blind look easy."

"Trust me, it's not always easy," Harry confided.

"Well, keep doing whatever it is you're doing, because it's working," Robbie said with a grin.

"I'll try," Harry promised, adding, "Thanks so much for coming to sing with us."

"I'm honoured. I've been rooting for you boys every week." He turned, then, to introduce himself to the rest of One Direction. "Are you all excited for the final?"

The boys all nodded. "Super excited," Niall added.

"Nervous, too, I'll bet," Robbie observed.

"Super nervous," Niall confirmed with a smile.

Robbie chuckled. "Well, are you guys ready to do this thing?"

They all nodded again.

"Have you guys thought about what song of mine you want to try?" Robbie asked them.

"We thought we'd wait until you were here to see what you were thinking," Liam told him.

"Simon?" Robbie turned to One Direction's mentor. "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"

Simon shook his head. "No. Whatever you guys decide is fine by me."

"Okay, then," Robbie said. "What are your favourites?"

The boys took a moment to think. Niall was first to come up with one. "'Feel.'"

"That's a good one," Liam agreed. "I like 'Millennium' a lot, too."

"My favourite's probably 'Angels,'" Harry put in.

"I like that one," Louis said, "but my favourite is 'She's the One.'"

"Oooh," Zayn moaned approvingly. "That would be sick."

"That would be fun to do," Harry offered his opinion.

"I think so, too," Niall said.

"Liam?" Robbie checked.

"I'm in."

Robbie grinned. "Then that's it. 'She's the One' it is. That cool, Simon?"

"Works for me."

The next couple hours were glorious, as the boys practised with Robbie, figuring out who would sing what and when. During the course of the decision-making process, Robbie insisted Harry take a solo, and Harry was beside himself with joy at the support. It was lunch time when they were finally done rehearsing, and Robbie apologised for having to head out to a meeting, but told them he was already looking forward to the dress rehearsal and, of course, the live performance. He hugged them all goodbye, then left them to spend their lunch hour reliving every single moment of their celebrity encounter, soaking it in, just as Anne had bid.

* * *

When they arrived on stage on Friday for the dress rehearsal, they discovered that Brian and Savan had decided to change the staging for "Torn." Originally, they had just been going to stand at the front of the stage and sing the song straight through, mirroring what they had done at Judges' Houses. Now there was a long platform set up on the stage, and Louis immediately tensed at the sight.

"What? What now?" Harry asked instantly, having experienced this reaction from Louis before.

"Platform," Louis said simply, sighing.

"Like last time or the time before that?"

"Like last time," Louis informed him. "One long platform."

"Well," Harry said, "it was okay last time."

"No stairs in front."

"Oh."

Brian came up to the boys then. "I can tell by the looks on your faces that you have some reservations about our new set-up here."

"Yeah, what's with the platform? This wasn't here yesterday," Louis pointed out.

"We were talking with Simon, and we decided that since you were singing straight out on the stage with Robbie and 'Your Song,' it might be nice if you did something a little different with 'Torn,'" Brian explained.

"I still have flashbacks of Harry almost falling off that first platform," Louis confessed.

"Louis…," Harry said in a warning tone, as always, not wanting to make a fuss.

"Well, I do," Louis protested.

"As it happens," Brian broke into their exchange, "Mick came up with a solution for that."

"He did?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Brian said proudly. "Come look."

Zayn, Niall, and Liam followed Louis leading Harry over to the platform.

"Mick put a runner that goes the entire length of the platform. It's clear, so it won't show on camera, but it should be enough to keep anyone from falling off," Brian reported.

Harry reached out his free hand, and Louis guided it to the edge of the platform. Harry dropped Louis' elbow and found the runner Brian had mentioned at the exact same moment that Louis spotted it.

As Harry ran his hands the length of the top of the platform, Louis admitted, "I guess this could work. Haz, what do you think?"

Harry nodded. "I think this could work."

Brian beamed. "Then shall we try it, boys?"

"Sure," Harry responded.

The others murmured agreement with Harry's answer, and they all made their way to the stairs in the back and walked up to the top. Harry held onto Louis up the stairs, counting them under his breath. Once they were situated atop the platform, Harry felt out his part of the stage with his feet, moving forward to carefully check for the runner, finding it easily. Once he felt secure in his location, he let go of Louis' arm.

They ran through their song twice. The first time, Louis kept an eye on Harry the entire time to make sure nothing happened while they were up high. Before they began the second run through, Brian suggested Louis look toward where the audience would be this time. Louis was feeling more relaxed anyway, since nothing had happened yet, and he stopped watching Harry every second while they sang through "Torn" one more time.

When they finished, Brian and Savan declared it perfect, and One Direction was yet another step closer to the final live shows and, with any luck, sweet, sweet victory.

* * *

Unlike the Wednesday night following their bowling outing, no one could rest on Saturday night, no matter how exhausted they were. Cher had been eliminated from the competition, and they had all stayed up late eating all the junk food they could find, talking about nothing of any weight, and reminiscing about their _X-Factor_ experience. It was a wee hour of the morning when they all trudged upstairs to pretend to sleep.

All of One Direction changed into night clothes and climbed into bed, weary, but wired, too. Louis, as usual, crawled into Harry's bed, clinging tightly, painfully aware that they only had a couple more nights in the house, then they might well be heading home in defeat. He buried his nose in Harry's curls, taking in the familiar scent and committing it to memory.

Into the dark, Niall posed a question. "What are we going to do if we win?"

"Buy a Lamborghini," Liam answered quickly.

All of the other boys chuckled.

"I would prefer a Porsche," Louis offered.

"I'm not sure we're getting that much from Syco," Zayn pointed out way too reasonably for the hour at hand. "Not directly anyway."

"Well, then, as soon as our first album comes out and stays at number one for six months," Liam amended. "I'll settle for a sweet SUV."

Niall chimed in to answer his own question. "I want a motorcycle. That would be sick, yeah?"

"I will not be buying a car," Harry stated dryly.

"Good, because nobody wants you at the wheel of one," Louis teased gently. "What would you want to buy with all your riches?"

"I don't know. Maybe a tricked out computer or, hey, maybe a football club," Harry thought aloud.

"That would be awesome," Louis agreed. "Maybe we'll make enough you can buy Man U."

After a brief moment of silence, Zayn said, "I would buy my mum a house."

"And there it is, Zayn making the rest of us look bad," Niall joked.

"I think that's really sweet, Zayn," Harry commented. "Your mum would love that. Your sisters, too."

"Yeah," Zayn said wistfully.

"When our third album is a smash hit, maybe we'll get to do a stadium tour," Niall opined.

"That's thinking pretty big," Louis noted. "But that would be killer."

"Playing at Wembley would be so cool," Liam concurred. "That's like thousands and thousands of people."

"We'll have to start in smaller venues, though," Zayn reminded them.

"But that would be cool, too," Niall said. "More intimate when it's less people."

Another moment of silence passed as each boy lay there imagining a future of touring and playing for enthusiastic audiences all over the world.

"What if we don't win?" Harry whispered. He probably only meant Louis to hear, but the sound carried easily through the room in the dark silence.

Louis brushed a kiss over Harry's temple. "If we don't win, it won't be your fault," he whispered back.

"That's not what I meant," Harry protested weakly.

"Yes, it is," Louis countered, pulling him closer. "I know you too well, love."

"Besides, Hazza," Niall piped up, "we already decided. We're going to make this work, no matter what. Remember?"

"And don't you even think about suggesting you might not be part of whatever we do," Liam preemptively ordered. "You're stuck with us."

Harry laughed, but sobered quickly. "I like being stuck with you guys, but I don't want any of you to feel like you're stuck with me."

"We're lucky to have you," Zayn assured him without hesitation.

"So incredibly lucky," Louis agreed, gently stroking Harry's forearm with his index finger.

"Even if they have to make weird set changes so I don't fall off a platform?" Harry checked.

"So, that's what's bothering you," Louis realised.

"That is so not a big deal," Niall told him. "I can be pretty clumsy, so anything that helps you will help me out, too."

Louis felt Harry start to relax in his arms. "Okay," Harry allowed.

"All for one and one for all, remember," Louis said firmly.

He felt Harry nod.

"For the benefit of the dark room, little Hazza has nodded his yes," Louis announced.

Harry chuckled. "I forgot it was dark for everyone."

"For shame!" Liam teased, making them all laugh with Harry.

Another silence soon fell over the room, but Louis was nowhere near ready to sleep, and he didn't think anyone else was, either. Harry was still a little restless, adjusting his body to get comfortable, his back shifting against Louis' chest.

"We sang with Robbie Williams today," Louis declared with a happy sigh.

"Wasn't that sick?" Niall enthused. "Most fantastic live show ever!"

"Still can't believe that he asked to sing with us," Liam said dreamily.

"And we got to meet Rhianna, Christina Aguilera, and will.i.am, too," Zayn recounted. "That was pretty sick, too. I am so glad my mum dragged me out of bed for the audition. Imagine all that wouldn't have happened…."

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty glad I didn't make it through the first time," Liam admitted. "Getting to do this with all of you has been incredible. So much more fun that I think being solo would have been."

"Aw," Niall cooed. "I think Simon putting us all together was the best thing that could have happened."

Louis squeezed Harry tight as he added to the topic at hand. "Deciding to try out was the best decision I've ever made, hands down."

"Me, too," Harry echoed Louis' sentiments. "Thank God my mother didn't argue about it for too long."

From somewhere in the room, a watch beeped. Zayn groaned. "That must mean it's gone three a.m."

"We should probably attempt to sleep," Liam said regretfully.

"Yeah," Niall agreed through what sounded like a wide yawn.

"Good night, then," Louis bade his bandmates.

There was a round of goodnights, then, before the sound of shuffling bodies and crinkling covers filled the room for a few moments.

Louis pulled their shared duvet up around him and Harry against the cold air seeping in through the window just behind them, then pulled Harry close again.

Into Harry's ear, Louis whispered softly, "Love you."

Harry's answering whisper floated to Louis' ear on a breath. "Love you back."

It took a long time for Louis to actually fall asleep, but as he lay there trying, he knew no matter what happened at the final live show, there was no place on Earth he'd rather be. Not a single one.

* * *

One Direction's family members came from every part of the U.K. and Ireland to watch the boys in the live final. Niall's grandmother had come with his parents and brother. Zayn's parents and sisters had all driven down from Bradford, while Liam's parents and sisters had come in from Wolverhampton for the occasion. Louis' mum and stepdad brought Louis' little sisters to the show, while Anne, Robin, Gemma, and Harry's dad, Des, came to support Harry, as they had done every week since the first live show.

The mums had all worked together to arrange a party room at a local pub for all of them to gather in to celebrate and have lunch on the Sunday of the live final. The Tomlinsons and Styleses ended up sharing a table together. Louis was sure this was done because both Jay and Anne knew better than to try to separate Louis and Harry.

"So," Mark Tomlinson began as the waiter went around the table filling water glasses, "are you boys nervous for tonight?"

"Nervous and excited," Louis replied.

"Yeah, both," Harry concurred.

Anne reached out a hand to rest it on her son's. "You are all going to do a fantastic job."

Harry smiled. "I hope so. This is it. We win or we lose in less than twelve hours."

"Less than seven hours," Lottie, Louis' oldest younger sister corrected helpfully, gazing down at her watch.

"Thanks," Louis said sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Lottie returned, saccharine sweet.

Another waiter came around just then to bring them a sheet which listed their choices for lunch. When the waiter got to Harry, he hesitated, and Louis just took it, automatically reading it aloud for Harry's benefit.

Phoebe and Daisy, the twins, were watching Louis and Harry with interest from across the table. It was the first time the two had had any extended exposure to Harry. When Louis was done reading the menu for Harry, Daisy piped up curiously, "You can't read, Harry?"

Jay looked slightly horrified by her daughter's question, while, at the same time, Louis opened his mouth to answer. Harry, though, beat them both to saying something. "Phoebe or Daisy?"

"Daisy," she informed him primly.

"Well, Daisy, I can read, but not like you can," he explained.

"Why not?" she wanted to know.

"Because my eyes don't work like yours do," he told her matter-of-factly.

"Why not?" she repeated.

Harry shrugged. "I was just born this way."

Phoebe joined the inquisition. The whole table was ineffectively pretending not to listen to the conversation, and Phoebe wasn't about to let Daisy get all the attention. "Does it hurt?" she wanted to know.

After Harry recognised the new speaker with a slight turn of his head in Phoebe's direction, he answered, "Nope. Not at all."

"Is it going to get better?" Phoebe asked next.

"No," he told her. "But it's okay. I'm used to it."

"Okay," Phoebe said, seemingly satisfied with his response. "Mummy, can I have chicken?"

Daisy, however, had one last question. "If you can't read with your eyes, how do you read?"

"Well, there's a special kind of writing called Braille that I can read. It has raised dots I can feel with my fingers," Harry said. "But most places don't have things written in Braille, so when that happens, I need someone to read to me, like Louis just did."

"I like being read to," Daisy shared. "Louis reads to me, too, when he's at home."

"Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?" Harry offered a grin as he reached under the table to squeeze Louis' thigh.

"Daisy, if you're quite done pestering poor Harry, why don't you tell me what you want?" Jay requested pointedly.

"Chicken, please," Daisy ordered.

"I'm sorry for the interrogation, Harry," Jay said.

Harry smiled good-naturedly. "It's fine. They're just curious."

The waiter who had dropped off their menus was approaching their table to take their order. Once again, he hesitated by Harry, this time seemingly unsure about how to ask him what he wanted. Louis took pity on the guy and bumped Harry's upper arm. "What do you want, Haz?"

"The roast," Harry responded. "With chips, please."

The waiter acknowledged the order with a, "Very good," then scuttled away toward the kitchen.

The conversation at the table turned to Robbie Williams at that point. Gemma wanted to know just how exciting it had been to sing with him on live television. She had been at the show the night before, but the families had only had a brief moment with the boys after the show before they had been dragged off for yet another interview.

"It was pretty cool," Louis told her, unable to keep a wide grin from splitting his face at the memory. "I couldn't quite believe I got to introduce him."

"He was really nice," Harry added. "He told us all about touring with Take That and what it was like for him being in a boy band."

"Mmm…. Take That is very dreamy," Gemma swooned. "It was especially dreamy when Robbie was in it."

"Did you get to meet the other fancy popstars, too?" Anne asked.

Harry nodded. "We did. They were all great. Rehearsals with all of them were so cool."

"What's the group number tonight?" Jay inquired.

"There are two," Louis reported. "'Never Forget' by Take That with just Rebecca, Matt, and us, then Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' with some of the people that auditioned; not us."

"There's a special surprise during one of those," Harry teased.

"What?" Gemma pressed for more details.

Harry shook his head. "Can't tell. It's a secret."

Based on her statement of moments ago, Louis couldn't wait to hear Gemma's reaction when she saw Take That join them for their group number at the start of the live show.

"Ooh, maybe Lady Gaga is going to come on wearing a weird costume," Lottie hypothesised, clapping her hands with glee at the thought.

Louis shrugged his shoulders and smiled mysteriously. "You never know."

The conversation turned at that point to Louis and Harry's best memories of their _X-Factor_ experience. At some point, the waiter brought around the food, and there was a break in the discussion while everyone took the edge off their initial hunger.

When they had staved off the worst of it, more intimate conversations took place around the table. Anne posed a question to Harry. "So, honey, how are you really feeling about tonight?"

"Nervous. Scared. Excited," Harry listed off the mixture of emotions he was feeling. Louis could relate. He was feeling the exact same way.

"I'm so proud of you, baby," Anne went on. She looked past Harry to Louis and amended, "Both of you. This is such a huge accomplishment, no matter what the outcome."

Harry and Louis both smiled at her praise.

"Harry's been amazing," Louis informed Anne. "Truly. Our little star."

Harry blushed, then demurred, "Everyone's been amazing. We all made it to the final, not just me."

"But none of the rest of us had to do this blind," Louis pointed out.

Before Harry could protest, Anne said, "Take the compliment, honey. He's right."

"Okay." Harry still sounded reluctant.

"Are you boys looking forward to Christmas?" Anne asked next. "It's not long now. Just two weeks away."

"It'll be nice to spend some time with you, Robin, and Gemma," Harry noted. "Maybe even relax a little. It feels like things have been non-stop ever since we moved into the _X-Factor_ house."

"And you, Louis?" Anne checked. "Your birthday's Christmas Eve, isn't it?"

"It is," Louis confirmed, surprised she possessed this information.

"Your mum mentioned it. She said you didn't mind having a birthday so close to Christmas. Is that right?"

Louis shrugged. "It's not so bad. My mum always made sure I didn't get joint presents, and she always bullied the other kids' parents so they would come to my parties, even when they were at the craziest time of year," Louis told her.

Anne chuckled. "Good for her. Gemma missed Christmas by three weeks and Harry Valentine's Day by two. My near miss holiday babies."

For the rest of lunch, talk at the Tomlinson/Styles table turned to holiday plans and wishes, and as all the One Direction boys finished eating, they got up and started crashing the conversations at the other tables until they had all gotten to chat with their bandmates' families.

All-in-all, it was a great way to spend some of their pre-show time, and the band was a little more relaxed when they headed back to the studio for final preparations for the last live show of the season. It was the moment of truth.

* * *

Before the show, they rehearsed all the numbers one more time at a sound check, then they were shuttled off to wardrobe and make-up. Louis' nerves returned as they were changing into the outfits they were to wear for the opening number, and he could tell from the way Harry's hands shook as he slipped into his trousers and shirt that he, too, was anxious.

Louis hastily slipped on his sweater and moved to stand behind Harry, reaching up to grip Harry's upper arms. Harry jumped at the touch, but he relaxed when Louis said, "It's just me, Hazza. Nervous, babe?"

Harry nodded. "What if something goes wrong?"

Though they had been diligent ever since Week Five about keeping from offering public displays of affection at the studio, Louis figured he had nothing to lose on this last night, so he wrapped his arms around Harry, pulling the younger boy in so his back was against Louis' chest. Louis then kissed a spot right behind Harry's ear.

"Everything's going to be fine," Louis tried to reassure him. "We're going to kick Matt and Rebecca's asses, and we're going to win."

Harry chuckled. "Or what?"

Louis let Harry go and turned him around so they were facing each other. "Or nothing. We're going to win."

"Okay, I guess I have no choice but to take your word for it."

"That's the spirit!" Louis cheered softly, leaning forward to peck Harry on the cheek. He reached down to grab Harry's belt from where it rested on a nearby chair. Pressing it into Harry's hand, he said, "Now finish getting dressed. We have some asses to kick."

Louis felt like he had hundreds of butterflies in his stomach when they stepped out not much later to perform their group number with Matt, Rebecca, and special guest Take That, featuring their singing partner of the night before, Robbie Williams. The butterflies soon fled, though, as the performance went on. Everyone sounded great, and Louis even spotted Gemma in the crowd, and they shared a smile; she looked very excited by the bonus Robbie appearance.

They had a half-hour to wait until it was time for them to sing "Torn." After changing into their second outfits of the night, they retired to the green room and pulled five folding chairs together, sitting in a huddle.

"I am going to throw up," Harry said to no one in particular.

Louis rested a hand on Harry's thigh. "You'll be fine. Do you need some water?"

Harry nodded, and Louis left their little circle to go to the fridge in the corner. He collected five bottles of water, then returned to his lads and passed the bottles out, keeping the last for himself.

There was silence for a moment as each of the boys sipped greedily at their water.

When Louis had downed half his bottle and noticed Harry had done the same, Louis asked, "Feeling better, Haz?"

Harry nodded. "I think so."

Louis reached a hand up to rub the back of Harry's neck. "Just need to treat this like all the other performances."

Harry nodded once more and pulled in a deep breath. "I'm good."

"Excellent." Louis smiled broadly.

They sat in amiable silence for another few minutes before they were summoned back to hair and make-up for a touch up. Then it was time to go backstage to wait for their cue to climb the stairs to the top of the platform.

When the stagehand gave them the okay, they made their way to the platform in near total darkness. Harry had joked during the dress rehearsal that they should have let him lead the way, as he was the only one truly equipped to navigate in the dark. Despite this truth, they moved single file in the order in which they would be standing on the platform: Zayn, Louis, Harry, Liam, Niall. Because he knew Louis had access to a little bit of light from the backstage area, Harry kept a hand on Louis' back until they achieved their marks high above the stage.

"Torn" went beautifully. With several months of practise, growth, and experience, Louis thought they sounded even better than they had in Spain, and they made it through the song without a single hitch.

The judges all praised them and wished them well, and then it was up to the British public. Either they would sing "Forever Young" in less than an hour or they were done.

They had just about twenty minutes until the announcement would be made about who had and had not made it into the final two based on the public vote. They used part of that time to change into more casual clothes--jeans for everyone but Harry, who chose khakis--then decided to wait backstage and listen to the auditioners' group number. Simon joined them during the last chorus.

When the show took an ad break, Simon said, "I want to make sure you boys all know how extremely proud I am of each of you." He reached over to grip Harry's shoulder as a replacement for the significant look he gifted Louis, Niall, Zayn, and Liam with.

The boys chorused sincere thanks.

"I knew putting you together was a good idea, and you have more than exceeded my expectations. You've handled every single challenge thrown your way with grace. You're to be congratulated no matter what the result is in just a few minutes," Simon assured them.

The boys offered more thanks, then they all stood quietly to attempt to compose themselves for what was about to happen in the next short little while.

"Oh, I almost forgot…. If you win, I'll take you on holiday to Barbados," Simon added cheekily.

All five members of the band laughed. Simon's declaration eased the thick tension which had started to settle around them.

Before any of the boys could comment on Simon's offer, they heard Dermot addressing the audience after the break. "Hello, and welcome back to a very exciting and very tense _X-Factor_ final. Phone lines have been frozen, and I'm about to announce the two acts that are in the final and the act with the fewest votes who's finished in third place. So, let's welcome back the finalists and their judges. Dannii Minogue and Matt."

Dermot paused while Matt and Danni took the stage, though the boys had no access to that view. 

The host went on, "Cheryl Cole and Rebecca."

There was another pause as Rebecca and Cheryl, also unseen by the boys, moved onto the stage.

"And, finally, Simon Cowell and One Direction," Dermot called them forth.

With Harry on his elbow, Louis followed Liam, Niall, Zayn, and Simon through the horizontally opening door to take a spot in the middle of the stage. Once they were in place, Harry dropped Louis' arm.

Dramatically, Dermot said, "Okay, here goes."

The lights dimmed, and Louis' stomach dropped. He felt Harry tense beside him.

Dermot intoned, "The public have voted. I'm about to reveal which two acts have received the most votes and will compete head to head for the _X-Factor_ title and which act has received the fewest votes, finished third, and will be leaving the competition tonight. Good luck to everyone."

Louis' mouth went dry, and he heard Harry suck in a deep breath and hold it. Louis did the same.

"In no particular order, the first act through to the next stage of the final is…" The pause seemed interminably long before he announced, "Matt!"

Louis looked over to a shell-shocked Matt and forced a smile in acknowledgement of a job well done.

"Congratulations, Matt. We'll see you again shortly," Dermot said next.

Dermot turned his attention to the contestants still on tenterhooks. "So, One Direction and Rebecca, one of you has made it into the top two, and one of you has received the fewest votes from the public and is out of the competition."

Louis took a quick look around at his bandmates. They all looked just as nervous as he was. He met Liam's gaze and Liam offered a quick, supportive smile.

Dermot declared, "This is it. The second act still in the final is…" If the first pause had been interminable, this one was doubly so. Louis turned to check on Harry. Harry's head was bowed and his face was so pale. Louis reached back and patted Harry's stomach to remind him that Louis was still there. Finally, unable to drag it out any longer, Dermot uttered the name of the second act into the final. "Rebecca!"

Louis' heart dropped to meet his stomach. They had lost. It was over.

He turned to console Harry, but though Harry wore a sad face, he was applauding for Rebecca and forcing a smile not unlike the one Louis himself had forced moments ago. Louis' love for Harry grew more in that moment, if that was even possible. Harry was surely one of the kindest, most generous people in Louis' life.

Rebecca looked even more stunned than Matt had moments before while Cheryl hugged her. As the boys walked in small circles, crushed by the news, Dermot walked over to them, speaking as he moved. "Rebecca. Congratulations, Rebecca. We'll see you later on, but I need you boys, come on. Simon and you boys, if you would." He urged them back into a line so he could speak to them, and Simon hovered, equally as disappointed as they were, behind them.

"Okay, guys, we are going to talk to you in just a second, but now let's look at your extraordinary time on _The X-Factor_ ," Dermot introduced the customary highlights reel for the eliminated act.

As the reel displayed memorable moments from their entire _X-Factor_ experience, beginning with the audition process, the boys draped their arms over each other's shoulders for support. Louis and Harry remained side by side, and Louis whispered in Harry's ear whenever something appeared on the screen that Harry wouldn't be able to identify by sound.

When the video ended, Dermot said, "Boys, I can see by your faces you're absolutely gutted, but how's this experience been for you? What have been the highlights?"

Louis had wound up at the end of the line closest to Dermot, so found himself with the microphone in front of him. "It's been absolutely incredible," he told Dermot with utmost sincerity. "For me the highlight was when we first sang together at Judges' Houses. That was unbelievable. And, you know, we've done our absolute best. We've worked hard." Louis shrugged, having nothing else to say.

Dermot bypassed Harry, who looked too unhappy to even try answering a question, and placed his microphone in front of Zayn. "Zayn, what's going to happen to One Direction now?"

Zayn replied, "We're definitely going to stay together. This isn't the last of One Direction."

The boys all managed a smile at that. Plan B was now in effect.

Dermot addressed their mentor. "And Simon, these boys... I mean, I haven't seen any band come in and work this hard."

Simon said, "You know, I'm absolutely gutted for them, but look, for everyone who's bothered to pick up the phone over the past few weeks, I really appreciate it. All I can say is, this is just the beginning for these boys."

It was wonderful to hear that Simon agreed that they should not give up.

In parting, Dermot agreed, "They've been absolute troopers. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for One Direction!"

The audience went wild, applauding for the boys one last time, and then Simon herded them backstage and into a large area over to the side.

"Boys, you did a tremendous job," Simon told them. "I am so sorry this is how it ended."

Liam joked, "No chance of that holiday, then?"

They all laughed, though some of them could not manage a big laugh, still distraught from their loss.

"No, that was only for winning," Simon answered with a chuckle. "But in all seriousness, I meant what I said out there on stage. I really believe this is just the beginning for you."

"Thanks for everything, Simon," Louis said on behalf of the whole band. "We could not have done this without you."

"You worked hard. You deserved to win," Simon concluded firmly.

At that moment, the boys were called for a post-elimination interview. Liam turned to look at the others to gauge their ability to handle an interview just then.

Zayn immediately shook his head and said, "I just need some time on my own. I'll be back in a bit." Without waiting to be dismissed, Zayn left and headed out into the hall off the backstage door.

As Zayn went out, Jay and Anne came in through the same door. "Mum! Anne!" Louis called to them.

As soon as Harry heard his mother's name, he began to cry, and Louis quickly shook his head at Liam, indicating that he and Harry were out, and he herded Harry over to Anne.

He looked back to see Niall and Liam conferring softly, then Liam left, presumably to take care of the interview on behalf of the rest of them. Niall's mum and dad appeared at that point, and Niall moved to speak to them as Simon slipped away to give them private time with their loved ones.

Jay took Louis in her arms, much as Anne held Harry in hers. Jay kissed his cheek and said, "You did so great, baby. I am so, so proud of you."

Louis smiled and choked back tears. "Thanks, Mum."

She pushed him away slightly to tell him, "You boys are going to go so far. This is just the beginning, just like Simon said."

Louis nodded. "I know."

Something Harry was saying to Anne caught Louis' notice, and he looked in Harry's direction. "It's my fault, Mum," Harry lamented, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

Without giving it a second thought, Louis instantly turned on his heel and inserted himself into Harry and Anne's conversation, even if he hadn't been invited. "It is not."

Anne looked over Harry's shoulder to Louis and raised her eyebrows questioningly. Harry didn't respond to Louis' assertion at all, though he did still in his mother's embrace.

"It isn't," Louis insisted. "Harry? It isn't."

"It is," Harry countered, pulling away from his mum to turn his face toward Louis.

"What do you mean, it's your fault?" Anne asked, her face showing she was clearly confused.

Before Harry could answer, Louis did it for him. "He means he thinks it's his fault we lost."

"Oh, baby, no," Anne told him softly. "Louis' right. It isn't."

"I cost us votes," Harry said in a tone that clearly conveyed his sincere belief in what he was saying.

"You can't know that," Louis scoffed.

"Absolutely not," Anne agreed firmly. "You have no idea why people voted or didn't vote."

"Maybe they thought we were safe," Louis hypothesised, trying desperately to infuse some reason into the situation. "It's happened so many times before, and not just on _X-Factor_. Sometimes people don't vote because they assume someone's safe. After all, we'd never been in the bottom before."

"Or maybe some of the calls couldn't get through," Anne offered another possibility. "Or it could just simply be that Matt and Rebecca had more fans."

"You are not allowed to blame yourself," Louis commanded.

"I can go one better," Anne announced. "I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the votes you guys have gotten these last couple months have been directly because of you."

Harry scrunched up his nose, perplexed by her assertion.

"I've been sitting in the audience every week, and I'm never around the same people. But whoever I'm around, they're always talking about you, Harry, and how amazing they think you are, how brave to do something they don't imagine they could," Anne revealed. "I'd bet you've earned a lot of votes all these weeks just being you."

"You really think so?" Harry seemed willing now to be convinced.

"I do," Anne replied surely.

"Me, too," Louis concurred. "So there'll be no more of this blaming yourself nonsense."

"I'd like to add to the discussion, if I may," Jay interrupted. "Harry, just like your mum, I've been in the audience every week, and I've heard so many people saying so many great things about you. You've inspired people. You should be proud."

Harry blushed at the compliments. "Thanks."

"And it sounds like you're going to keep right on being inspiring," Jay went on. "Both of you."

Harry nodded. "That's the plan."

"Good."

Anne pulled Harry in for another hug. His cheeks coloured, knowing Louis and Jay were watching.

"I am really, really proud of you, H," Louis barely caught her whisper.

When Anne let Harry go, she said to him, "There are some people out in the hall who really want to see you. They thought I should come in alone first, but I know they're pretty anxious to get some face time. You ready?"

"Mark and the girls are waiting there, too," Jay noted to Louis.

"Let's go," Harry and Louis said simultaneously.

As Anne and Jay led the way out of the backstage area, Louis pressed a quick kiss to Harry's cheek. "Love you, Haz."

Harry smiled and reached for Louis' hand, squeezing it before trailing a finger up so he could catch Louis' elbow. "Love you, too."

Gemma was the first person Louis saw when they entered the hallway, and she was quick to take Harry into her arms in what appeared to be a ferocious hug. Immediately upon Harry getting pulled away, Louis was engulfed in a sea of girls as Lottie, Fizzy, Phoebe, and Daisy attached themselves to him like limpets.

"You were really good, Lou," Fizzy told him earnestly.

"The voters were stupid," Lottie insisted. "You guys should have won."

"We love you, Louis," the twins cooed in unison.

Louis gave them all hugs, warmed to his core by their devotion.

The Tomlinsons all huddled together to chat, all of them continually telling Louis how well One Direction had done and how they were robbed of the win.

While he soaked in the praise, Louis occasionally sent glances over toward Harry's family, who had been joined by Matty, Harry's cousin, whom Louis had met a few times when he'd come down for a live show. They were circled around Harry, and Harry was clearly being offered the same encouragement and sympathy Louis' family was giving him. Louis even caught a smile or two on Harry's face, which did a lot to ease his mind. They were all going to be okay.

After a while, Liam, Niall, and Zayn reappeared, and Liam summoned all the boys into their practise room for a brief meeting.

"I did the post-interview for _X-Factor_ on behalf of all of us, and they seemed cool about it, but we really all need to do the _Xtra Factor_ one," Liam told them earnestly. "They're ready for us in the studio whenever we're set."

Louis knew they needed to be professional about this, so he nodded. "Okay, then, let's get it done. You up for it, Haz?"

Harry nodded. "I guess."

"Niall? Zayn?" Liam checked with the remaining two.

"I'm set," Niall said.

"Me, too," Zayn concurred.

The boys all took a moment to let their families know they would be back shortly, then they all trooped to the small studio--set behind the much larger studio--where all the _Xtra Factor_ interviews were done. Konnie Huq, who had interviewed them many a time over their months on _The X-Factor_ , awaited them.

As they usually did, they sat five across on the large sofa lining one wall of the room--Zayn, Liam, Harry, Louis, and Niall. Louis casually placed his hand on Harry's thigh in silent support.

Konnie gestured to the cameraman to roll, then she turned to the boys with a sympathetic smile. "So, boys, how are you doing?"

Liam offered her a small smile. "We're doing as well as can be expected."

"Coming in third is a big accomplishment," Konnie went on, "but I know that isn't the result you wanted."

Niall took this one for the team. "No, of course not. We had our hearts set on winning. But we're proud to have made it this far."

"What do you think happened?" Konnie asked. "You boys seem to have quite the following. There are literally hundreds of fans waiting for you outside the studio every day."

"Well," Louis jumped in to handle this question, "Harry and I were just talking about this backstage. I really think they must have thought we were safe and didn't vote as hard as they have in the past."

Konnie nodded. "That makes a lot of sense. This is the reason the judges are always urging the audience not to assume anyone is safe."

"We still appreciate all their support these last few months," Louis was swift to add. "It's meant so much to all of us."

"Harry," Konnie turned to the boy in the middle. "You looked especially gutted on the stage. How much has getting this far meant to you personally?"

Harry gave her a sweet smile, one cheek dimpling in the way Louis loved. "It's been wonderful. I wasn't sure what to expect when I auditioned, but from the boys to the judges to the fans, everyone's been completely accepting and helpful. This has definitely been the best experience of my life."

Louis squeezed Harry's left thigh as Liam did the same to Harry's right.

"So, boys, what's next for One Direction?" Konnie inquired next.

Just like he had on stage, Zayn answered this one. "We're going to stay together, try to record an album, get someone to sign us."

"Excellent," Konnie told them, adding, "And, of course, there's the _X-Factor_ tour. Are you all looking forward to that?"

"Absolutely," Liam responded.

"It should be pretty sick," Niall commented.

"It'll be fun to get out there to perform for all the fans," Louis gave his two pence.

"Well, boys, it has been a pleasure getting to know you these last few months," Konnie said by way of conclusion. "Congratulations for making it into the final. I look forward to keeping up with all you do in the months to come."

All the boys tendered thanks, and Konnie signed off. As the cameraman lowered the camera and walked off, Konnie told the band, "Thank you so much for sitting and talking to me. I know it's been an emotional rollercoaster tonight."

The boys agreed with nods, then Liam asked, "Are we good to go, then? Our families are waiting."

"Yep. Scoot," she ordered them.

Niall, Liam, and Zayn went off in search of their loved ones after telling Louis and Harry they'd see them back at the house. Harry took Louis' elbow, and the two boyfriends found their families waiting right where they'd left them.

Louis once again left Harry in Gemma's capable hands before moving over to where his own family stood talking amongst themselves.

"I'm sorry, Boo, I hate to do this, but we need to get the twins back to the hotel," Jay told Louis almost immediately. "It's way past their bedtime."

Louis nodded, looking down at his obviously wilting smallest baby sisters. "Of course."

"We'll catch up with you sometime tomorrow, yeah? Talk logistics?" Jay asked.

"Absolutely," Louis agreed. "I'll ring you when we've sorted our schedule for the day. I'm pretty sure we're going to have to do some press at some point."

Jay and Mark both hugged him, and then Louis kissed and hugged each of the girls, promising them he'd see them the next day and reminding them to mind their parents.

As Jay and Mark herded the girls toward the exit, Louis went to insinuate himself into Harry's group, whispering a "hi" in Harry's ear and placing a hand at the small of Harry's back. Harry's family was also clearly making plans for the following day.

As Louis had done, Harry explained, "I think we'll probably have to do some press tomorrow. We have done every Monday, so I'm guessing tomorrow will be no different. Don't you think, Lou?"

"Yeah, I think so," Louis responded.

"Then we should let you boys get some sleep," Anne concluded. "I can't imagine you got much last night, and tomorrow could be a long day, what with whatever press you have to do and packing your things to move out of the house."

Louis and Harry nodded their agreement.

"Harry, you call me tomorrow and let me know what your schedule's like, okay, baby?" Anne requested.

"Sure, Mum."

Harry and Louis both received hugs from Harry's family, then while Harry's family left to go find their car, Louis and Harry went to go collect their clothes from wardrobe before calling for a car to take them back to the house.

Wardrobe was bustling with people cleaning up after the finale. Louis located Harry's clothes first, pressing them into the younger boy's arms so he could stuff them into his backpack. Then he pushed his own clothes into his own pack. He hoped the X-Factor staff wouldn't mind collecting the wardrobe they were currently still wearing from the house; he had no energy to change just then.

"Ready?" Louis finally asked Harry.

"I am." Harry looked tired enough to pass out right there, so Louis was glad they were heading back to the house.

Louis drew out his cell phone and called Scott to ask for a car. Scott told them to go wait by the same back door they usually entered and exited through. Harry wearily took Louis' elbow and allowed the elder boy to guide them where they needed to be.

The back was blessedly clear of people. Security was no doubt containing them somewhere else. The car which would take them back to the house was able to pull up right near the door, and Harry and Louis crawled into the back seat, happy to be able to relax for the first time in many, many days.

The car ride was silent. Harry rested his head on Louis' shoulder and reached his right hand out for Louis' left. When he got hold, they entwined their fingers, resting their hands on Louis' thigh. When Louis looked over at Harry, Harry's eyes were closed, so Louis felt free to do the same.

It did not take long to get back to the _X-Factor_ house. When Harry and Louis stumbled drowsily through the front door, they found a very quiet home. Matt and Rebecca were probably still celebrating and being interviewed about their success, and if any of their three bandmates had come back, they'd retired upstairs.

Louis detoured into the kitchen to put on a kettle to boil, and Harry followed him, taking a seat at the table to wait for the water to boil for tea. Harry rested his head on arms he crossed on the tabletop.

Louis walked up behind Harry and rubbed the back of his neck. "Tired, love?"

"Mm-hm," Harry murmured. "So very tired."

"Do you want tea, too?"

"Yes, please." He lifted his head and put his palms on the table. "I can help."

Louis moved his hand to Harry's shoulder. "No, it's okay. I've got it."

Harry didn't protest, but rather crossed his arms and lay his head down once again.

Louis squeezed Harry's shoulder before heading to pull down two mugs from the corner cupboard, get milk for Harry's tea from the fridge, retrieve two Yorkshire tea bags from the canister, and lift two spoons from the silverware drawer. By the time Louis had all of the things he needed, the kettle whistled.

Louis would miss this nighttime tea ritual. More nights than not, he or he and Harry would make them both tea before bed. It was a nice habit to have in common.

Louis fixed Harry's tea with milk and sugar and his own with just sugar, then informed Harry, "All set. Ready to head up?"

"Yeah." Harry repeated the action he'd started just a few minutes earlier, lifting his head and then putting his palms on the table to push himself up.

As usual, Harry led the way through the front room and up the stairs, Louis following behind, carrying both mugs.

Harry turned on the light for Louis when he entered the room, and Louis scoped out the room quickly to see if they'd disturbed any of their bandmates.

"Is anyone here?" Harry asked in a whisper, just in case.

Niall and Liam's beds were empty, but Zayn was curled up on his top bunk, fast asleep. "Only Zayn," Louis reported in a normal voice, sidling past Harry to place their mugs on the sill next to his and Harry's bed. "He's out cold." They could call a brass band in to play, and it wouldn't wake Zayn.

"I'll bet Niall's family took him to a pub," Harry surmised with a smile, walking over to crouch in front of his pile of clothes to search for something to sleep in.

"You're probably right," Louis said. "Maybe they dragged the Paynes with them."

"Liam doesn't even drink," Harry pointed out.

"When has that ever stopped Niall from dragging someone into a pub?"

Harry smirked as he successfully located a pair of pyjama pants and a t-shirt. "Good point."

"Do you want to shower tonight or in the morning?" Louis wondered aloud.

After taking a moment to stand upright and think, Harry told him, "I'm too tired now. In the morning."

"Well, I need one now, so I'll be back." Louis kissed Harry's cheek before grabbing his own sleep clothes and his toilet kit.

He made quick work of his shower. When he returned to their room, he found Harry already changed and in bed sipping at his tea.

Louis tossed his dirty clothes and toilet kit onto his bed/makeshift closet and climbed right over Harry to take his customary spot between Harry and the window sill. He took his tea in hand and began to sip at it. "Mmm, I make a good cuppa."

"You do," Harry agreed. "Though the one you made for me is better than the one you made for you."

"How would you know?" Louis was confused.

"I took a sip of yours by accident," Harry confessed meekly. "You forgot to tell me which was which."

"Oops. Sorry," Louis said, wincing. He still forgot sometimes that Harry couldn't see.

"It is much better with milk," Harry proclaimed.

"Is not," Louis countered firmly.

"Is."

Louis took another sip of his far superior tea before arguing, "Is not."

Harry giggled and continued to work on his own drink.

When both mugs were empty, Louis set them on the sill before clambering back over Harry to go shut out the light. When he returned, he slid under the duvet between Harry and the wall and they cuddled, Harry, as always, in Louis' arms.

"You okay?" Louis asked, nuzzling his nose into the curls at the top of Harry's head.

"I think so," Harry responded through a yawn. "You?"

"I'm okay."

Harry pulled in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Do you really think it's all going to work out? Do you think we'll be able to get a recording contract?"

Louis rested his chin on Harry's shoulder. "I do."

"It sucked. Losing," Harry clarified in a glum tone.

"Yeah," Louis said. "But in so many ways we didn't really lose, did we?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, we still have each other, yeah? We didn't lose that. And we're going to make this work, all of us together."

Louis felt Harry nod his head. He pulled Harry in tighter, and Harry wrapped his arms around Louis'. "I love you," Louis whispered. "So much."

"I love you, too," Harry returned sleepily, though he still had the energy to twist his head around to kiss Louis gently, their lips coming together to sweetly say good night.

Not long after Harry turned his head back around, Louis could tell he'd fallen asleep. Harry's body slackened in his grasp, and his breathing became deep and even. Louis risked a gentle kiss to the back of Harry's head, whispering, "It's all going to be okay, baby. I promise." He closed his eyes and let the sound of Harry's breaths lull him to sleep.

He never did hear Niall or Liam come home.

* * *

When Louis woke the next morning, the number of snores he heard in the room told him Niall and Liam had made it back to the house. He was not surprised that Harry and Zayn slept through it, but he was a lighter sleeper. The final had truly exhausted him.

Harry was one of the snorers, still totally passed out. Louis allowed himself the luxury of just relaxing his head on his pillow and enjoying the feeling of having Harry in his arms.

He was just about asleep again when a knock on their bedroom door woke him right back up again. "Come in!" he called out, his voice rough with sleep, and possibly not loud enough. He glanced at the clock crowded onto the sill with all his and Harry's things. It read 9:07 a.m. "Come in!" he yelled again.

Harry stretched in his arms, and he could hear the other boys stirring as the door opened, revealing Scott as their visitor. "Good morning, lads."

All five of them issued sleepy greetings. Harry gently extricated himself from Louis' arms, and the two boys moved to sit side by side on the edge of the bed. The rest of the boys assumed similar posts on the edge of their own beds. If Scott was surprised that Louis and Harry were in the same bed, he didn't let on.

"What's up, Scott?" Liam questioned, rubbing at his eyes.

"Sorry to get you guys up so early after the long day yesterday, but Simon wants you boys in his office by 10:30."

"What for?" Louis inquired. They hadn't expected to see Simon that morning. It wasn't like they had song choices to make.

Scott shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm here with the car so I can take you there. Do you think you guys can be ready by ten?"

Liam looked around at everyone to check there were no dissenters, then he nodded. "I think we can."

"I'll leave you to it, then. I'll be downstairs," Scott told them.

"Who needs a shower other than me?" Liam asked the room, taking charge.

Harry and Niall raised their hands.

"Okay, then. Harry, you go first," Liam suggested.

Harry nodded, patted Louis' thigh, then got up to retrieve clean clothes from his stack before making his way out of the room toward the washroom.

The boys juggled turns in the bathroom, and by the appointed hour of ten, they were all dressed and their hair was as tamed as it was going to be. Niall lamented that they would not have time for any kind of breakfast as they crashed down the stairs to tell Scott they were ready to go.

Scott hurried them all out of the house and into the car, and they were soon underway to Simon's office at Syco Entertainment.

The boys spent the entire drive speculating about why Simon might have summoned them.

Liam predicted, "I'll bet he wants to discuss the tour and how that's going to work."

"I hope it's a breakfast meeting," Niall wished, rubbing at his empty belly.

"Maybe he just wants to thank us for all our work," Zayn postulated. "He was our mentor."

"He did that last night, though," Louis pointed out. "Perhaps he wants to go over our press schedule. We probably have to talk with oodles of people about losing." 

"Louis…," Liam intoned seriously, though a grin teased the corner of his mouth. "We didn't lose, we came in third."

"Semantics!" Louis countered, though he was on the verge of a grin, too.

"It's freezing outside," Harry noted. "Maybe he's going to tell us he's sending us to Barbados after all. It's warm there."

"Mmm…. Barbados. That would be lovely," Louis sighed. "I could use a tan."

Before any of the band knew it, their car was pulling up in front of Syco. They were escorted inside the building and directly up to Simon's large office.

Simon wasn't there yet, but five leather chairs had been set up for the boys, all of them facing Simon's desk in a small semi-circle. The boys each took a seat, and while they waited for Simon to get there, Louis described the room for Harry.

"His office is the size of the front room back at the _X-Factor_ house. It's huge!"

"I'm not surprised," Harry commented.

"The wall over on the right is all built-in bookcases, though they don't hold books. They hold all his awards," Louis explained.

"Looks like a hundred of 'em," Niall interjected.

"The wall behind his desk, right in front of us, is all windows," Louis went on. "He's got a pretty good view since he's up so high."

"Better than the view at that hotel in Manchester?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"Much," Louis confirmed, chuckling.

"What view in Manchester?" Zayn wondered aloud.

"We met at the Holiday Inn at the auditions," Louis told him, "and I walked Harry to his room after I ran him down on the sidewalk."

"You menace, Tomlinson!" Liam interrupted his story. "Knocking poor Haz down."

"You never told us this," Niall said with mock outrage.

"Never came up," Louis brushed it off. "Anyway…his hotel room looked out on a brick wall."

"Swanky," Niall remarked sarcastically.

"I didn't mind," Harry assured him with a smile.

"And finally, on the left wall is a bank of televisions," Louis concluded his tour.

"The better to watch daytime television when I should be working." Simon's voice came from behind them.

The boys all stood and offered hugs to Simon, who returned them warmly. When they were done, they reclaimed their seats, and Simon sat opposite the band in the big leather chair behind his desk.

"Thanks for coming, boys," Simon opened. "Sorry I'm a little late. Production meeting ran over."

"No problem," Liam responded.

"You're probably wondering why I called you all here," Simon said with a small smile.

"We are a little curious," Louis admitted.

"Well, first, I wanted to thank you guys again for all your hard work these last few months," Simon unwittingly fulfilled Zayn's prediction of why they were there. "It has been my immense pleasure to work with all five of you. You're young, but you all have a terrific work ethic that's going to serve you well in the future."

"Thanks," all the boys said over each other.

"So, the reason I wanted you to come here today is…. I've made a decision." Simon's words were familiar--he'd said them exactly that way before he sent them through to the live shows from Judges' Houses--and the repetition made the band smile.

When Simon didn't immediately share his decision, the five boys collectively held their breath. He only made them wait a moment more. With a wide grin, he declared, "I would like to sign One Direction to a record contract with Syco."

One by one, the boys' mouths dropped open in shock. Louis couldn't believe their luck. This was better than any prediction they'd made in the car. A thousand times better.

Harry was the first to recover, and he dubiously checked, "Are you serious, Simon?"

"I am dead serious, Harry," Simon replied. "You guys are the real thing. I think you're going to be huge, and I want to be the one to help you get there."

"Oh, my God, that's amazing," Liam told Simon. "We were already planning on staying together and trying to get a record contract on our own."

"Well, now you don't have to," Simon observed.

"Thanks so much," Louis spoke for all of them. "This means everything to us."

"I believe in you," Simon said with all sincerity.

"We won't let you down," Zayn vowed, also speaking for the band.

"I know," Simon assured them. "Now, I have another meeting to go to. Assuming that you guys want to sign with Syco…."

"We do, we do," they chorused.

"I will have my lawyers draw up the paperwork, then, and you boys can come back tomorrow to sign a contract. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Liam responded. "We'll be here."

"Excellent!" He stood and moved from behind his desk. The boys all stood, too, Harry taking an extra second to catch on that they were all standing. When Simon got to their side of the desk, he said, "Let me walk you to the elevator."

He gestured for them to go ahead of him, so Louis slipped his elbow into Harry's waiting hand to follow Zayn, Niall, and Liam out of the office and past Simon's secretary's desk. Simon strode behind them until they came to the bank of elevators not far outside the glass doors leading to Simon's suite.

Liam reached out to take Simon's hand first. "Thanks again, Simon."

Simon nodded. "You're very welcome." He went down the line of them, shaking all their hands.

Niall called for the elevator, and Simon was already making his way to his next meeting when it arrived.

The band was still in a state of shock as they piled into the elevator and headed back down to the lobby, but by the time they made it out into the street, they were whooping for joy, giddy with excitement. They got a lot of looks from passersby, but none of them cared one iota.

"We did it!" Niall cheered. "We have a record contract!"

"We're going to be making a record. Our own record," Liam enthused.

Louis gathered Harry in his arms first in a fierce congratulatory hug. "See," he whispered in Harry's ear. "I told you we'd make it work."

"You were right," Harry whispered back, his tone tinged with absolute happiness.

Niall, Zayn, and Liam crowded around the boyfriends, and Louis and Harry made room for them until they were in a massive group hug. Louis looked fondly around the circle at his friends. Liam, the stable one, there to keep them all in order and on track; Zayn, the mysterious one, always calm and centered even when things were crazy; Niall, the one who loved everything, who found delight in everything, and whose delight was so contagious; and Harry. Sweet, kind, amazing, strong Harry, the one he loved with every fibre of his being. They were going to do this. They were going to succeed.

Simon was right. This was only the beginning.

End (2 May 2014)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those of you who have made it all the way to the end, I salute you! Thanks so much for reading.
> 
> I had absolutely the best time writing this story. I finished it in May, and I miss the universe so, so much. As I have mentioned to many people in the comments section, I am just about 99% sure I am going to write a sequel. This is where I need your help! What 1D events would you enjoy me retelling in my blind!Harry universe? I have some ideas, but want to find the best place to start. Should I pick up the story right where I left off, or should I jump ahead to some other point in time?
> 
> I can't promise to use all of the ideas you share, but I am hoping some of your ideas will stimulate my thinking and help me to get started. Thanks in advance for the assist!
> 
> Again, thank you so much for following me on this journey. Keep your eyes on my Works page. I have an unrelated story I will post, hopefully, in late September, early October (sooner if my beta works quickly) and I am working on stories for two challenges (including the 1D Big Bang), so there's more to come!
> 
> Take care, and I hope to see you soon!!


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